You Only Mate Once
by LifeAndDeathShinobi
Summary: When you're a vampire, you only mate once. You only have one mate to spend the rest of your existence with. One person who'll make you happy, love, and complete. Rated M for violence, language, and sexual themes. ItaSasu, don't like don't read
1. Prologue and Just Like You

**Hey, guys! I know that I have three other stories that I need to take care of but while watching Avatar and reading a few other fanfics, I got inspiration to write this one! Now, the person I asked if this story will be okay to release has already been informed and I am awaiting for her to give me her answer after I unleash this Prologue/chapter 1. If it doesn't work, I will drop the idea and delete the story. If that's the case, I hope that you guys will enjoy it until then. It's kind of short but oh well.**

**I do NOT OWN any of the Naruto characters! ItaSasu forever! Rather it's romantic love or brotherly love, I don't care! It's adorable and hot either way. I hope you enjoy it!**

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Vampires…

An infectious breed that feeds on the human's living blood. Every trait and tale about them is true. Except one. Everyone knows that they exist and it has been an all out war between humans and vampires for centuries. Many have bended to their will and become their slaves while the others resist. Where ever there are vampires, there are vampire hunters. That is one fact that no one can ever change, no matter how different a story may be from one country compared to the other.

But now as time has passed, there are very few vampire hunters and more vampire followers. Many have claimed to see the 'good' side of them and wish to become one. But there is nothing good about them. They are vicious monsters that feed on human blood and the humans dare to say that vampires are good? Many are fooled and so few have opened their eyes to the truth and rebelled. Even the vampires themselves.

At least, that's what Uchiha Itachi believes since he discarded the vampire throne to become a human vampire hunter himself.

Ch. 1: Just like You

"You want to know a little secret, love?"

Small, feminine giggles fill the air in the dark, low lighting room. The only thing illuminating it is the light of a small light candle on the counter next to a rusty, old bed. On top of the bed are two people. One of them being completely naked and the other has half of his clothes on. The only clothing that's not on that guy is his pants. The giggles came from the one laying on the bed with his head against the pillows and a devilish, seductive smirk is on the beautiful brunette male's face. He's the one without his pants and his buttoned shirt, unbuttoned while still covering his shoulders and arms.

"Oh? You're not going to tell me you're married are you?" Itachi asks the man hovering over him. He chuckled at the silly question.

"No," he answers. He lowers himself closer to Itachi till his lips are right by his ear, sending chills through his body. "But I have been with a lot of ladies before you."

Hearing that made Itachi a little confused and taken back a bit. "So I'm your first male then?"

The man over him pulls back to look at Itachi deep into his curious, onyx color eyes and a very satisfied grin appears. He leans closer till their nose lines are briefly touching and compliments, "You're too pretty to be a guy. That's why I'm here with you." Then he plants a passionate kiss on Itachi's lips and he responded instantly, letting out moans when he felt the guy's tongue enter his mouth. The deeper his moans became, the more it turned his partner on. When the kiss broke, Itachi look flustered with hazy eyes clouded with embarrassment and lust. Seeing the blood rushing to his face pleases the guy. Itachi not only looks like woman, he's acting like one. "I haven't told you my secret yet, _m'lady_."

"Well, tell me what it is already," Itachi complains like an impatient child. "I want you inside me already."

"Give me a minute, okay? It's a really big secret and I want to tell you what it is before I fuck you senseless." He bends down to Itachi's ear again and he whispers, "I'm a vampire and you…" Peeking from behind his pale white lips are two long, sharp canines just pleading for flesh and blood. "…are my dinner." Itachi's body tenses and his eyes widen in fear when he hears this. The vampire lowers down at the now frighten male's neck and stares longingly at the veins under his creamy cocoa skin. He can see that they are just full of his blood and he can see that they are pumping through at high speed from Itachi's fast pacing heart. "Before I fucked my victims, I drain them all dry of blood first so that they don't become vampires themselves and rip the skin right off of my ass. You will receive no better treatment." He opens his mouth wider and his fangs just dripping with saliva and the vampirism toxins. But right before he was going to chow down, Itachi's fast pacing heart completely slowed down to normal and his muscles weren't so tense anymore.

"Too bad, isn't it? For you that is."

Before the vampire knew it, he felt something go right through him and an enormous amount of pain injects through his body. He didn't have the strength to look down to see what did that to him. His eyes are wide with pain and his breath hitched. Holding the wooden stake that stabbed the vampire in his hand, Itachi lifts up the frozen body so that they could be face to his face. His once seductive eyes that resembled that of a prostitute are now hard and cold and his expression is a blank. It's almost as if the emotions are wiped clean off his face.

"Now let me tell you a secret," Itachi says. Even his voice sounds like a total blank. "I am a vampire hunter, sent here by the Akatsuki to hunt down a vampire who's been targeting human women for his own hunger. Luckily for me, you decide to go after a male tonight."

"Wh…" As hard as he can, the vampire is trying to speak. But he's having a very hard time with the pain of the wooden stake piercing his heart and his life now hanging on a thread between his existence on earth and hell. "Wh..Who..exa-actly…are..you?"

Itachi gave no answer. He simply shoves the guy to the side off the bed and he twists the vampire's heart before letting go and allowing the bubbling up corpse to fall to the ground and cause the blood to decorate the floor like a water balloon. The body hits the floor and explodes. Blood decorates the floor and bits of the walls with blood splatter designs. Body parts spread around but it was only seconds later till they turn to ash and completely disappear. The only evidence that proved that the vampire was ever here was the blood, the bloody stake, and his bloody clothes that were thrown to the floor. Itachi starts buttoning his shirt and he looks down at where the body would have originally laid.

"I'm a human who used to be just like you."

After the shirt came the rest of his clothing. Lucky for him, he kept his underwear and pants on the bed to avoid the bloodstains damaging them. After the clothes, he ties his long dark brown hair into a loosely tied low pony tail and he got his clock. After a double check of no blood on himself or any trace of that vampire being on him, Itachi leaps off the bed and lands right in front of the door, away from the blood and about thirty feet away from the bed. He exits and closes the door behind him, only for his hunting partner to be waiting for him. Kisame is leaning up against the wall next to the door and Itachi doesn't appear all that surprised or embarrassed if his partner had heard him moan all during that prostitute act.

"Did you have fun?" the human shark looking man asks. He sounds quite amused when he asked that. Obviously, he was there for the whole thing.

Itachi simply says, "Our target is terminated. Let us go back to report to leader." But as he turns around to walk away down the hallway, he feels a big strong hand grasp his wrist and then pin him against the wall. Itachi didn't make any sudden movements against him when it happened. He had a feeling this would happen and since Kisame is the one pinning him down, he knows that there is no real danger.

Kisame holds Itachi's wrist against the wall as his other hand is leaning against it for support. He leans close to Itachi's face and he commands in a whisper, "Answer my question, Itachi-san."

Even being this close and smelling his nasty fish breath, Itachi's expression does not falter. It stayed exactly the same, as if he were just a doll. "You already know the answer, Kisame." Hearing this, the shark man smirks, revealing his sharp, pointy shark teeth.

"Even though you're human, you're still clinging to the rules of the vampires."

"That is the only rule that I obey. The rest, I could care less."

"Has there ever been anything you ever came close to caring about?"

A small pause and still, a blank face. "There has. Just not recently."

A smirk still stays on Kisame's face. The only difference about it now is that it grew wider shortly after Itachi's answer. "You truly are nothing more than a doll. Expressionless, no longer caring or worrying, and just following orders because he was told to. Tell me, how does it feel to live like that?"

Itachi still does not show a single trace of emotion. No irritation, no cockiness, no teasing, no amusement; absolutely nothing. "It's tolerable. Now are you going to release me or pin me to this wall all night?"

Kisame chuckles. He releases his partner and backs away. "I simply cannot tell the difference between you and Sasori's puppets, except that you're alive."

"Let's go."

With that, the conversation ended and both males walked out of the village inn and back to their base to report a job well done to their leader.

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Geeze, I make Itachi such an emotionless slut huh? Sorry to abuse you, Itachi but it can't be helped. Anyway, how was it? Bad? Good? Please let me know! See ya till next time!


	2. The Social Room

**A/N: Hello again! Wow, I didn't expect this chapter to get so popular so fast. Even the reviews aren't so much but a lot of people are reading this story so I'm happy. Also from the reviews I received, it has come to my attention that Itachi acting like a super uke is really weird. Good thing he's an emotionless doll, huh? Anyway, don't worry. I plan to have him play uke for now and then later, he'll play seme. I've noticed a few times that a lot of ItaSasu fans like Itachi as the seme more than him as the uke. I'm just having the two of them play both roles in this story.**

**Well then, I do NOT OWN any of the Naruto characters, nor do I own the story. If I did, Itachi would be alive and Sasuke would be sane. He's making me worried sick over him. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it's totally random and a bit sick but I was trying to make this funny. Enjoy!**

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Ch. 2: The Social Room

As soon as Kisame entered the social room of the base, which resembles that of a school's teacher's lounge with a kitchen area in the corner and several tables all around the room, he greets with a loud boom from the door being wacked into the wall and yells, "We're home!"

"The hell, Kisame!" Deidara, the blond hunter yells from on top of the table. "Must you always slam that door into the wall? You've already broken three this month, un."

Kisame asks back, "Must I always see you and your partner getting it on, on top of the table every time we come back?" What he means is Deidara lying on top of a table with his shirt acting as the table's tablecloth as his red hair partner, Sasori is on top of him without a shirt and his pants open. "There is a reason why I don't eat on that table."

Sasori's hand gently brushes against Deidara's cheek, grasping back his attention. "If you don't like it, then don't watch." Then he hungrily kisses Deidara's lips and he instantly reacts, returning the affection and completely forgetting Kisame.

"Very hard to ignore," he mumbles, even though he knows that at this point they could care less of what he has to say about where they have sex and who's watching.

Not too far from them on a different table is another pair of hunters, one with silver hair and pinkish/purple eyes and another with mud brown skin, green eyes, and a mask over his head and face. Hidan looks as bored as hell and Kakuzu is counting the money from an open suitcase besides him. On the table next to them are two more hunters, completely ignoring those around them by playing cards. One looks like a Venus Fly Trap with a black and white half as the other has his face completely covered by an orange, swirly fan. From the looks of it, Tobi and Zetsu are equal opponents. Not one of them looks like they're beating the other.

"Where's Itachi?" Zetsu's white half asks. Okay, maybe they're not completely oblivious to what's around them.

Glad to be off that embarrassing issue, Kisame answers, "He went to report to Leader and his lover. He told me that I could go and relax while he takes care of the boring stuff. But I think, I should have gone with him."

Deidara pulls away from Sasori's playful lips for a bit to say, "Hey, don't blame us that you haven't gotten laid in a while, shark man!" Sasori soon found Deidara's throat and shoulder more interesting as Deidara became unaffected by Kisame's dagger glare. "Maybe you should start doing what Itachi does if you're going to complain so much, un." Hearing the 'getting laid' bit and combining that with Itachi made Hidan suddenly remember something.

"Hey, don't remember our deal, Deidara! Two hundred I can fuck the bitch!" he announces to the room. That was when Zetsu and Tobi temporary stop their card game to watch and listen.

"And five hundred you can't! Un!"

Looking away from his counted money, Kakazu turns to his partner to ask, "Hidan, what did I tell you about making reckless bets?"

But like always, Hidan looks over confident with himself. "This time I'm sure I can take Itachi's virginity right off his hands." Espeically when it comes to his sexuality.

"I highly doubt it," Kisame quickly disagrees. "He wouldn't even let the vampires we have to dispose of get as far as he lets the rest of us go."

This time, Sasori takes a break from his lover's skin to ask, "You two did or he did?" He too received a glare from Kisame for that.

Then Deidara asks, "Hey, Kisame. How far did he go this time, un?"

It only made Kisame feeling more insulted. "I don't have cameras in his rooms!"

"What did it sound like, Kisame-senpai?" Tobi asks. Apparently, everyone knows that Kisame listens in when sex is being made. He thinks it's sickening to watch, but it's enjoyable to listen to. Especially when it comes to the sex that Itachi pretends to have with his victims.

But besides him, this just proves that almost everyone in the Akatasuki are curious if the only virgin in their organization finally had his time. Sick, twisted bastards…

Since now the whole gang is looking at him with curiosity, Kisame does feel a bit of disappointment that these people would think of him so poorly but he lets out a sigh and decides to tell them. "Hmm…Well Itachi-san was pulling off the prostitute act so there was some teasing making out, with tongue. That I saw. There were some moans here and there and from the time it took for Itachi to get out of the room after twisting the vampire's heart, I would say that he allowed the vampire to pull his pants off. So he was half naked and he got a vampire tongue bath. I say, he got a bit farther with this one."

Hearing that causes Hidan to slap the table as if his point was just proven. "Ya see? Itachi is just begging for someone to ravish him! And I'm the lucky son of a bitch to do it." Which he thinks it has.

"As Deidara said, Hidan. Not likely."

"Don't you have anything else to talk about, Kisame?"

Hearing his voice suddenly behind him, Kisame nearly jumps out of his own body when he looks over his shoulder to see his lifeless doll for a partner stand right behind him with semi-wet hair to indicate he took a recent bath and staring at him with deep onyx, blank eyes. Some members, like Deidara, Hidan, and Tobi are surprise that Itachi is suddenly hear as Kakuzu, Sasori, and Zetsu are not. This is usually normal.

"Itachi-san!" Kisame yelps.

"It's bad enough I already think of you as a horny partner. Want it to change to lazy, peeping, horny pervert?" Itachi asks, crossing his arms in front of his chest. It only made Kisame freak out and tense up even more.

Sasori asks, "As being the eldest member of the organization, don't you know that he's already like that?"

"Yes, but I was allowing the fact that he is a good hunter to hide that fact. It appears to me now that I can't." The tears that Kisame shed to show how sorry he was to disappoint Itachi are very visible on his dye blue face.

"Hey, Itachi." All of a sudden, Hidan is right besides Itachi and his hand is on his shoulders. He then starts leading him out of the social room to back outside. "Come here. There is something I want to show you."

"You're not going to show me the size of your arouse penis, again are you?"

"Just come."

As soon as the door closed, there was a moment of silence and a moment of disapproval from the other members. Then everyone in the social room lift up their hands and started doing a count up from one to five. When it hit to five, they pointed to the door and right on cue, they started to hear Itachi's sudden gasps and pleasurable moans as well as Hidan's victorious growls.

"That's right, Itachi. The innocent, gentle act always turns me on."

"Hi..Hidan…"

Then the group started doing the count down from five to one. As soon as it hit zero, they pointed to the door again and…nothing.

"Holy motherfucker!"

Except Hidan's screams.

"No way!" Kisame and Deidara scream. Of course, Deidara ended up pushing Sasori off when they heard that and thought the unthinkable happened. So while Sasori had his moment of disappointment and started fixing his pants while looking for the rest of his clothing, Deidara is staring at the door in disbelief with Kisame and their mouths wide open. But they spoke too soon.

Soon, all of them hear a punch and something crashing into a nearby wall. Moments later, the door opens and Itachi enters, looking just as emotionless as he always is while straightening his shirt which is no longer tucked into his pants. Not too far away from the door, actually down the long hallway, is Hidan with swirly eyes and his pants is pulled all the way down to his ankles. As Itachi makes his way to the kitchen area of the social room, which is in the left corner of the room, Deidara and Kisame look at Itachi with major disbelief, a bit of disapproval, and a tiny hint of disgust. Kakuzu, after letting out a troubledsome sigh, gets up and walks over to his unconscious partner.

Deidara asks, "Did he…?"

"No," he answers. Oh that was a relief for their nerves and now Hidan owns Deidara five hundred dollars. Itachi approaches the refrigerator and opens it to look for a certain object. But when he tried to look for it, he couldn't find it. Or he did, but only empty cases of it. "Sasori."

After putting on the rest of his clothing and tossing Deidara his shirt, by throwing it at his head, Sasori answers, "The new batch is in the freezer. It's about done. I just didn't take it out to defrost." By then, Kakuzu carried Hidan back to their table, his pants on and he was slowly starting to come back to consciousness.

Itachi heads for the freezer on top of the refrigerator and asks, "Because you were _busy_?"

"Yes, I was." _'And because you it was cut short.'_

Itachi looks for his desired object and sees a six pack vial case. From what he can see, the liquid inside is frozen solid. He takes it out and takes out one of the six vials. As he puts the other five in the open refrigerator, he grasps his chosen vial and tries to defrost it with his hand. Something like that would take a long time to defrost, especially when he likes it warm. But that didn't happen. As soon as the similar vials were in the frig, Itachi looks at the vial in his hand and concentrated on it. Soon, his hand starts to glow a small tint of red and the vial's contents went from frozen solid to warm, thick liquid. His hand stop glowing and he pops open the vial. He then swigs it down as if it were a shot of whiskey. Once consumed, he took a moment to let his medicine take its toll on his body.

"Ah, that's better," he breathes. Everyone watched him as if it were hit show. They would always do this. They would stop what they were doing just so that they could watch Itachi take his medicine that Sasori specifically made for him. Many got used to it, but Hidan, especially now when he's not in a good mood, didn't get used to it.

"Look, slut. We all know that if it weren't for Leader and Sasori's crazy shitty formulas, you would still be a Jashin damn suckhead. But sometimes, it's hard to believe that you ARE human with a beating heart when you have to take a damn serum every now and then to stay a fuckin human. Not to mention that you still have some of your damn powers from when you were a suckhead."

The attention went to Hidan instantly. Normally, he wouldn't say anything but they could all tell that he didn't like what Itachi really was; an irresistible, beautiful, blood-thirsty monster. This was probably going to come about sooner or later, but not when he's all pissed off.

"H-Hold on, Hidan senpai!" Tobi tries to say, hoping to stop the tension that was starting to grow. "We're all family here! Let's not fi-"

"What are you implying, Hidan?" Itachi interrupts. Tobi sighed loudly when he could see that he was being ignored, again, and he allowed the fight to continue when Hidan outburst again.

"What I'm implying, shit face, is how can you be human when you have to take some fuckin medicine for humanism?"

This time, it became a death glare contest between Hidan and Itachi. Though of course if Itachi really wanted to, he would have Hidan begging on the floor for forgiveness. He wouldn't allow his arrogant hunting partner scoop that low but for allowing his emotions to take over after he knocked him into next week was unacceptable. He's very tempted to do just that. Zetsu, being the spy of the group and having the sharper eye, sees that.

The white side tries to say, "L-Look, Itachi. Don't mind, Hidan. He's just angry that you rejected him."

"_**Again**_**,"** the black side of Zetsu added, finally speaking.

That made Hidan angry. "You don't have to say it like that, asshole!"

Seeing the Venus fly trap looking human trying to break the ice between them, Itachi lets out a sigh and decides to let it slide, for now. "I know and I've gone weary of his annoying questions and fast assumptions. I'm going to bed since I had to work, but Deidara, may I ask if I can sleep in your room on the clean mattress that you and Sasori don't use?"

Confused but can't deny a good comrade, Deidara answers, "Ah sure, I don't mind, un. But what's wrong with yours?"

"I need a new one. It reeks of sex, Kisame, Hidan, and Sasori." He wasn't going to let it slide.

When he said that, he said it calmly with a straight face as he walks over to the sink to clean out the vial for Sasori to use again later. But after hearing that answer, the three names he mentioned tensed up and shivered like caught, frightened cats. They had every right to be scared. All they needed to do was take one look at Deidara and they could see the fiery flames of jealousy and anger growing off of him.

"Uh? A three-some?" he asks, exploding. As those three begin to cower under his anger, the rest decide to go back to what they were doing, now the tension being disposed of and for the lovers to have their quarrel.

"Deidara, it wasn't like that," Sasori tries to explain.

Then to make it worst, once he was done cleaning up the vial, Itachi adds, "Actually, I believe it was Kisame and Hidan, Kisame and Sasori, and recently, Sasori and Hidan. Why can't you three do it on your own bed? What's so special about mine?"

If he had any emotions at all, he might either be annoyed with the fact that his bed is violated or he might find entertainment in seeing how Deidara's flames soon turns into a lightening storm. He was able to unleash a monster that strikes fear and absolute terror in the hearts of his comrades. Hidan and Kisame are cuddled together in fear as Sasori tries to calm down his love on his own, his body obviously shaking.

"Deidara, c-calm down…"

But he didn't. Instead of slapping him or knocking his lights out, Deidara stomps his way to Itachi and grabs his arm to pull him away from the social room and everyone in it.

"Come on, Itachi! I'm tired too! It's just you and me tonight! It's about time you stop acting like the uke and start acting like a seme!"

"If I rejected Hidan, how are you any different?"

"I wasn't asking for that! A make-out session is fine and I can pay you for your services. Hidan owns me five fricken hundred dollars for our dept!"

"Keep it. I'm not a prostitute."

"You act like one."

Now getting irrited with how Deidara is behaving, Sasori yells, "Deidara! Come back here!"

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So was that okay or was it too unrealistic? I hope you guys understand what I was trying to do here. Let me know, kay? Well, till next time! See ya!


	3. Small Talk

**A/N: Next chapter up, chapter 3! Yeah! I know that this is a ItaSasu story but if anyone is okay with ItaDei, then you might like this. It's only them sweet talking each other and if you ask me, after what Sasori put Deidara through he needs a friend right now who cares. I hope that this story is going okay. Sasuke will come in soon, just hold on a little longer. Also, if there is anything you don't like about this story, please tell me. Lately I feel like my writing is a little too detailed and boring. Tell me what's wrong so that I can improve, kay?**

**I do NOT OWN the Naruto characters or the story. If I did, Itachi would be alive and he would Amaterasu Madara's ass. However, despite my desire to kill the guy, he won't be a bad guy in this story since I do feel sorry for him. Besides that, please enjoy!**

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Ch. 3: Small Talk

_Before the Social Room's event…_

"_The mission is completed. The target has been terminated," Itachi reports, standing in the office of his leader. He's sitting down at the desk before Itachi and a woman is standing beside him with the same blank expression Itachi holds._

"_Very good," he compliments. "I expect no less from one of my best hunters. Where is Kisame, or did you play solo this time?"_

"_The target was not even worth Kisame's time. He only came for in case of an ambush. However, since there was none, he was kind enough to travel with me without complaint. I gave him permission to rest while I report to you."_

"_Even when you don't look it, you are too kind and yet so ruthless at the same time. Also, you may find your methods of extermination as shameful and disgraceful but I must admit that I am curious as to what act you pulled this time. Last time, I believe, you played the part as an emotional drunk. You're acting skills are superb."_

"_I will give you a written report tomorrow. I am weary of traveling and I am in need of a bath. I reek of vampire."_

_He not only thinks of his methods as dishonorable, but it's so revolting that he does not wish to speak about it or even boast about in public. Especially not in front of a couple where the man is interested on how he lured his victim into bed._

_The Leader appears to understand and he seems quite amused with Itachi's behavior. "Of course. Can't have you smelling like a vampire, now can we? After all, it's been twenty years since you were one. It'll be your anniversary soon and I hear that the serum is starting to no longer affect you after long periods of time. Your intake is almost daily. Sasori has to use some extreme stuff to try and curtail that desire to feed, I've heard."_

"_I am fine, Leader. You don't need to worry about me. I believe in Sasori's abilities to create a better and stronger serum. Now if you'll excuse me."_

"_But do you wish to be done with that serum once and for all?"_

_This catches Itachi's attention before he turned around to leave. The woman, Konan look at Leader with cautious blue eyes, giving off a silent warning for being absolutely sure he wants to say this to Itachi. He probably saw her glance but is choosing to ignore it._

"_Zetsu found out something very interesting. Something that I am surprise you did not know about, unless it was concealed until after you left your home, Uchiha Itachi."_

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"I'm not used to this, un."

"I am. I have to be."

In Deidara's room with the doors locked and the lights off, there are two beds. One bed is at one corner of the room, sheets straightened and 'clean' and just waiting patiently for someone to come in and sleep on it. That's the bed Deidara and Sasori would use. But across from it is another bed with slightly messy sheets and two bodies lying on it and only a counter with a clock and a lamp standing between the two beds up against the wall. That's the clean bed and both Deidara and Itachi are laying there after a hot and heavy make-out session. But before Deidara went too far with his harden erection ready to explode, Itachi stopped him and reminded him of why they were here in the first place. So he did, painfully, and now worn out and needed to rest, Deidara holds Itachi with his arms wrapped around his shoulders and head and Itachi's arms wrapped around his torso while burying his face in the blonde's chest.

Letting out a sigh before he asks, Deidara plays with Itachi's now loose hair. "Are you always the uke when you have to play 'fuck me up' or do you have seme moments?"

With no hesitation and a straight face, the human/vampire answers, "Mostly uke. Hardly seme."

Deidara's sky blue eyes look down at the fragile man in his arms and take a moment to examine him. "I guess how you look now, uke suits you, un. You're way too skinny and slender to play the part of the seme."

"Don't let appearances fool you. Things aren't always what they seem."

"But I never see you eat! It's almost as if you're trying to starve yourself. Trying to punish yourself for something that happened, un."

Itachi didn't say anything for a while. He only laid there with Deidara's arms around him and his cold eyes became icier with a thought that pass in his head. "Don't make ludicrous assumptions about me, Deidara," he says, his voice having a small hint of venom in them. Then it dies off. "I'm just never comfortable eating in front of people. But I'll be sure that you're present next time."

"You probably only take small portions of food, un." Itachi looks up at him with a raise brow and Deidara lets out another sigh. From Itachi's look, it's almost like he's asking 'you want to know or what'. "It's alright anyway. If you're uncomfortable then don't push yourself."

For Itachi, this is a stretch. Sure with the events that happened in the social room, he can understand that Deidara is pushing himself to be on friendly terms with him. Especially since he's using him to give Sasori a small bit of his own medicine without completely being unfaithful to him. But the blond hunter is always claiming that he would kill him one day or he won't regret if he accidently blows Itachi up with the rest of the vampires into millions of tiny pieces. He's been like that since Itachi embarrassed his bombs, that he calls art, while trying to get new members for this organization shortly after they lost one. But that is a different story. At the moment, Itachi can only conclude that Deidara is depressed after letting his furry out on pleasuring himself with Itachi.

"Does Sasori do a better job than me or are you the uke?" Itachi asks.

Quickly, Deidara answers, "First off, really none any of your business. And second, we rotate."

"I thought it wasn't my business."

"It's not!"

But you just told him. Man, he's really depressed. He's not thinking straight.

Itachi's hand that was once press against Deidara's back rises up to his face and his finger lightly starts making circles at the corner of his cheeks. A light flush of pink appears on Deidara's face from the contact. "I'm sorry if I made you upset, Deidara."

He understood what he meant. He actually means 'I'm sorry I had announce the fact that your lover/partner was cheating on you again with two other guys'. He let out a sigh figuring this out before he spoke. "Don't be. If you hadn't announced that to everyone, I would never have found out that Sasori cheated on me, again." Deidara leans down to Itachi's forehead and gives him a small kiss; a small thank you present. "Now that I think about it, you wanna know something, un? You can be so mean sometimes, Itachi. You only play around with everyone who wants you in bed first and then you stop right when it gets to the good part."

"As if I would ever screw with a vampire," he says calmly.

"It's not only them. It's us too, un! You know that Hidan wants to get in your pants and you've been Kisame for a really long time."

"Should I mention that Sasori asked me a few times too?"

"Don't! But what I'm trying to get is, why not just give in already? You can't keep your virginity forever, un."

One has to wonder on how weird it feels to be the only virgin on a partially sex crazy organization group. But yet again, Itachi doesn't feel anything so he doesn't feel any awkwardness for being touched so many times in so many places but never actually being 'touched' before.

"Call me old fashion. Or call me a suckhead. But the one rule that I will always respect, the one that actually makes me feel good about myself is, as a vampire, you only mate once. Only one person can make you happy, one person who makes you feel complete, and one person who will love you with all of their being and no one else. There can be no one else. I did found someone that I love very deeply, but…" He pause. A memory flash in his mind. A memory of a young man, possibly fifteen or sixteen with short, curly black hair and far off onyx black eyes looking so similar to his own and yet so different. He sees that person smiling with that goofy grin of his and waving at him in greeting. When Itachi spoke again, his voice became deep with hidden feelings of sorrow and hurt. "That person was murdered, brutally. Once you've chosen a mate, you're mates for eternity. You can have no one else. No one can replace them." Deidara could have imagined it but he was sure that when Itachi told him the last part, his arms sort of tightened around him.

So the great, emotionless Itachi of the vampire hunting organization, Akatsuki has a soft spot for someone in the past. Someone who lowers him to the point of wanting to be comforted like a small, frightened child begging for comfort at the painful memory of that person. It sort of made Deidara feel a bit special. This was as close as getting any emotions from the love doll as anyone was going to get and he's an eye witness.

Getting the invisible message, Deidara tightens his arms around the slender male and comments, "You are old fashion. You keep using terms like 'mate' and 'eternity'; it makes you sound older than you actually are." He's trying to break the ice that's starting to grow in the room. Inside, it made Itachi relieved. He wanted to change topic from the painful memories in his head.

"Technically, I am twice your age since born vampires take a longer time maturing. I unfortunately still have that effect even after being turned into a human."

But being reminded about vampires brought another topic up.

"Hey, I was just curious. If your serum just doesn't work anymore, what'll happen to you? Will you become a vampire again?"

The relief was short lived but it was worth it, in it's own way. "From what Sasori told me, no," Itachi answers. "I will only die like a starved vampire without blood. The only way I can return back into a vampire is if another vampire bites me. But I refuse to let that happen. Otherwise, I can never become a human again. The formula only works once."

So then Itachi will die? Somehow the idea of Itachi being dead – the strong and ruthless hunter and yet a doll with hidden emotions buried deep inside of him – it actually filled Deidara with dread and it made him cling onto him a little tighter. When Itachi felt this sudden squeeze, he didn't miss on how desperate and pleading it feels. If Itachi really was starving himself, his bones would have crushed from the lack of nutrition and the force of the blonde's arms.

This was when things started to get a little personal.

"Itachi, even though I act like I completely despise you at times, I actually really like you. Not the same way as I love Sasori but you're different from everyone else here. You have dignity, you have pride, you have honor, and you're devoted to the one you love, even after death. No one else here seems to have that."

"You do."

Deidara had to laugh at that bit. "Heh. Yeah sure. When Sasori goes to settle his needs with someone else and then comes back to me apologizing, I welcome him back with open arms, and apparently open legs."

"But I'm not the only teaser of this group. The only person you give yourself to is Sasori. You only play with me. Or is it because I'm the doll that can be easily played with but never broken?"

"I don't think you're a doll."

Emotions didn't appear on Itachi's face but his finger did twitch when he heard that. He looks back up at Deidara and the blonde tells him, "But I do think you are broken. You just don't want any repairs." Then there was a short pause.

* * *

"_Are you sure about this?"_

"_By Zetsu's report, yes. I'm assigning you this mission because I have a feeling that you would be upset if I assigned it to anyone else without you knowing. However, this mission is a little too big for you."_

* * *

"Right now, you're mad at Sasori, correct?" Itachi asks after a while.

Well this was weird. Where was this coming from all of a sudden?

"Obviously?"

"And you would like a break between the two of you, right?"

This just went from weird to weirder.

"Where are you getting at?" Deidara asks, getting a rather uneasy feeling of why Itachi is asking him all these things.

He answers, "Leader assigned me a new mission tomorrow and he said that I can choose someone besides Kisame to accompany me, if I wish. Naturally, I would take him but I'm having second thoughts."

"And you're asking me?" the surprised blonde asks, almost yelling it out. "Wouldn't someone like Hidan or Kakuzu be better?"

"Hidan tried to rape me again and Kakuzu wouldn't take the mission unless there is money involved." Then like before, his voice became ice cold and as sharp as a blade. "This mission is nothing more than the entire annihilation of the vampires."

'_The entire annihilation of the vampires?'_ Deidara thinks, his eyes wide with surprise. Then a dreary thought passes through his mind. _'But wouldn't that mean…'_

"Wow. That's a big job, even for you," he comments, his voice sounding a little weary.

"Will you take my offer or not?"

'_Well someone is staring to sound impatient.'_ "Well since you asked, sure and I do need to get away from Sasori for a bit. But…"

"But what?"

"If this is the entire annihilation of the vampires, wouldn't that mean that you would die too?"

Then there became another pause. But only a very short one compared to the last one, and the shortness of this pause is what made Deidara want to rethink his decision and this mission.

"Yes. I will die with the rest of the vermin. But it is a fate I am willing to accept."

**

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So how was it? Good? Bad? Tell me please! Buh bye!


	4. Bad Start to the Day

**A/N: Hey guys! I just want to say thank you all who have reviewed. I know it's not much compared to other stories that I've read but I'm very happy to see that this story is doing well. For this chapter, for those that are SasoDei fans, I'm sorry for this one but trust me, it'll get better. It just makes sense for this to happen after what happened to them last night, right?**

**Also, I have bad news. I will be starting summer school tomorrow and it's gonna be a lot of homework. UGH! But what can I do? My bad news is if the homework is going to be such a killer, I might not have enough time to write another chapter for you guys and it'll take me longer to update. I have this course for 6 weeks so I'm sorry that I'll be taking so long to update but please forgive me! I will try and update as soon as I can so until then, enjoy this chapter.**

**Also, just a reassurance to all, Sasuke will be appearing in either the next chapter or the chapter after the next one. I'm still trying to plan this out so maybe it's a good thing I have this course. I can plan this story out better.**

**I do NOT OWN any of the Naruto characters or the story. If I did, then you all should know that I would want Itachi to come back to life, PERMANETLY WITHOUT KABUTO and so burn the Orochimaru jr's ass with Amaterasu! Thank you and enjoy!**

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Ch. 4: Bad Start to the Day

It's the next day late in the morning and Deidara is walking in the hallways of the base. He's walking back to his room to freshen up and prepare for some massive traveling later today. He is to leave with Itachi at noon and that's about two hours from now. He had already eaten a hearty breakfast with Itachi as company. Apparently remembering some bits of their conversation last night, Itachi sat with him at a table with food and he was eating with him. This brought on many confused and suspicious looks from everyone. No one ever sees him eat. Even Kisame hardly sees him do it. Deidara heard full well some of their whisperings about how if maybe him and Itachi were an item now and maybe he stole his virginity. It was very annoying. Then to make it worst…

After eating his small meal, Itachi stood up while saying, "I will see you at the entrance at noon, as planned."

Deidara answered, "Uh, yeah right."

Then before Itachi left him completely, he bent down to his face and placed a small kiss on his lips. Then he just walked away like it was nothing. It left Deidara stunned and nearly the whole organization looked like they just saw the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause making out. The whispers continued and soon it got too uncomfortable to be in the same room as all of them. Now while walking back to his room, the blonde hunter had time to think and he's feeling a little uneasy with the mission he was told about last night.

* * *

"_An infiltration/assassination mission? Where you assigned to kill King Uchiha Madara, un?"_

"_He's one of them but no. I said that this was the entire annihilation of the vampires and we are going to kill someone much more important than the vampire king."_

"_Oh? Who?"_

"_Think of this, Deidara. What's more powerful than a king?"_

_It took a while for Deidara to think about that one. One…what could be more powerful than a vampire king…two…well lets think here. From low level to up; the beasts, the low class, the middle class, the nobles, the royal children, the queen, the king, the…three._

"_A god?" the blonde ask after three seconds pass. The dark brunette nodded._

"_The one we will kill is the reincarnation of the Kyuubi, the vampire god. You've heard the legends about the god and what powers it possesses."_

"_I did and it scares the shit out of me just thinking about it. When I first heard the stories, I thought I was gonna piss my pants, un."_

"_Yes, however no matter how powerful and fearful it maybe, it is the vampires' greatest weakness. If the reincarnation is killed, then the Kyuubi will die as well and once the Kyuubi is dead every vampire in the world…will die."_

* * *

'_So really our mission is to go in and kill the Kyuubi within in a week or create enough damage for the others to finish the job. Itachi mentioned that Leader will assign Zetsu to watch and record what we did and if it ends in failure, he would quickly give Leader the report and send the rest of the Akatsuki members over to finish the job before the royal family have enough time to recover and tighten their security. If it's really that troublesome of a mission for only two people and Leader is that anxious about it, then why not just move the base closer so that we can have an immediate attack so if it'll fail? Sometimes I really don't understand the guy, un.'_

"You seemed rather stress for someone to have been kissed willingly by the love doll."

Hearing that voice and surprised to hear it pulling him out of his thoughts, Deidara first stops dead where he is and then looks over his shoulders to see Sasori staring at him with hard, annoyed eyes and his arms crossed in front of his chest. It took a few moments for Deidara to contain himself when he sees his puppet-master partner/temporary ex-lover standing there before become a little irritated himself.

"What do you want, Sasori?" he asks.

"I want to apologize. Is it that hard to figure out?"

Hearing his words and how he's saying them made Deidara not believe him one bit. Sure he would usually accept him sometimes immediately or until Sasori explained himself, but now he really doesn't give a flying ass. "With that attitude, yeah. Now if you'll excuse me, I got to get back to my room." He turns around to leave, only to feel a hand grab his wrist and then pin him to the wall. It was one second he was looking forward and the next, he's staring at Sasori's bark red eyes looming over him. Both of his wrists are pinned and the sudden action shook him a bit.

"R-Release me!" he orders, trying to sound angry and struggling his way out. Not working.

"Why? So you can go back to that love doll? Do you not understand the word 'doll' at all? It means that the guy has no real feelings for you. Face it, Deidara before you get hurt. That man doesn't have a shred of emotion since the day a pack of vampires killed his lover and destroyed the human's village."

"Don't talk about Itachi like that, Sasori. As far as I'm concerned, he's the only one who seems to care about everyone around him; unlike you! Sure he doesn't express it, but he's not a bad person, un."

"So it's 'Itachi' now? Last time I checked, his name was 'shit-face'."

"That was before I meet someone else who's better suited that name. How long have we've been partners and how long have we've been together?"

"Deidara, listen to me."

"And how many times have you slept with someone else while I haven't?"

"You've slept with that doll! How else can you explain why he kissed you so freely or even sit next to you for breakfast?"

That does it. Deidara was getting enough of this. Sasori just crossed the line. "Get your fuckin hands off of me." He pushes him back with such force that even the red head hunter was surprised and the anger in those blue sky eyes were massive. "How dare you…How dare you say those words to ME! Do I mean that little to you? Do you think that just because you don't give me the time of day or you used me like some hanky, someone else wouldn't be interested? Well let me tell you this, the next time you approach me, puppet man, I am going to katsu your ass so hard, you won't sit on it for a week and I'll make sure you never use that dick of yours that you're so proud of using! I have never slept with Itachi, his virginity is still in tack and I will never take it from him without his permission, GOT IT?" Then his voice got soft. "Besides it doesn't matter anyway." It got soft when the words that Itachi said last night ring in his ears again as if they're being spoken again into his ear.

"_Yes. I will die with the rest of the vermin. But it is a fate I am willing to accept."_

"That man is willing to die." Sadness and pity took over Deidara's expression. His face soften and his blue eyes look like lonely puddles of water left behind by the rain soon to be dried up by the sun. He almost looked like he was on the verge of tears by just thinking of how hurt and how deep Itachi's loneliness really is. Sasori sees this and it only surprised him more of how much the blonde bomber suddenly cares for the doll. Then it went right back into anger when those blue eyes look back into those red ones. "See ya!"

Then he leaves, but not before hitting his shoulder against Sasori's arm on the way. The red hair man was there, stunned by his ex-lover's words and his expression. All he could do was stand there as he turned around and sees Deidara walking back to his room without once looking back at him.

* * *

By the time that Deidara opened his door, he nearly jumped out of his own skin. Sitting on his bed, the clean one, is Itachi with a small pack besides him and he looked ready to go. The only reason that Deidara was surprised to see him was because he locked the door on the way to breakfast and Itachi only left one minute before Deidara did. Either his talk with Sasori delayed him or Itachi had his vampire speed still. He yelped when he saw him.

"So you're here," was all Itachi could say after Dedara had a freak out moment. Then he got pissy again. He was not having a good morning.

"That's all you can say? First you left me on that bed you're sitting on and went off to God knows where! Then you appear in the Social room EATING BREAKFAST with me and then you kiss me when you were done! It was so embarrassing in that room that I had to leave! Then-"

"Then you got into a fight with Sasori and broke it off, correct?"

"Then I got into a fight with Sasori and broke it off! Wait! Huh?" That left Deidara speechless for a good minute as the dark brunette stares at him with those same beautiful, blank onyx eyes of his. What…the…hell?

"I heard you two," Itachi answers to the unasked question. "You two were not very far and you seemed very passionate with what you were saying. I guess I should say thank you for standing up for me."

Still bewildered by how Itachi found out and now surprised by his appreciation, Deidara could not think of a comeback. All he could say is, "Ah, you're welcome, un?" like it was a question. Itachi nodded in approval.

"Then to answer your other questions…" What is this guy? Physic? "I left your room early to pack and since I told you that I would eat in your presence, I did. I gave you that kiss just to shut those morons up. They were irritating and it became very hard to eat. Sounds like to me that it failed."

'_You're damn right it failed, un! And I thought you were the doll of this little vampire slaying group! You used me, un!'_ Deidara wanted to say, a vein pulsing on his head.

"I went back to my room and got my pack and came here. You're room was easy to pick but I locked the door in case that Sasori would come in here and give me a piece of his mind. He was glaring at me all during breakfast."

Hearing his name made Deidara distracted with his annoyance with the beautiful being in his room and it made him irritated as hell. "Don't mention that name right now," he grumbles, walking in and closing the door behind him. "I don't want to hear it, un." He walks over to his closet that's against the wall next to his other bed, the unclean one, and he grabs a big pack from inside.

"Pack light. I would like to get there as soon as possible," Itachi instructs.

'_Who died and made you princess?'_ "Yeah, yeah, whatever!" Deidara drops the big pack and grabs the small one. Then he asks, "What do you have in that little pack with you, un?"

The skinny, slender man answers, "Necessary weapons, smoke bombs, food pills, and three pairs of clothes."

"Itachi, we're going to be gone for a week. Do you think three pairs of clothing and food pills are enough?"

"Food pills can provide me the energy I need to travel for three days straight without food or rest. We will cover more ground that way."

"And food pills can leave you totally exhausted after use, un. You'll collapse before you even see the Kyuubi."

Then Itachi stares at him. At first, Deidara got a bit uneasy with those blank eyes staring at him and he was going to ask what his problem was when Itachi asked instead, "Are you that concerned about me?" This made Deidara blush ferociously. He quickly look away to hide it but he saw it.

"Well the success of the mission is important to you and you don't want it to end badly, right? A successful mission is carried out by responsible hunters and responsible hunters take care of themselves, un. If you're totally exhausted and can't attack, what use are you going to be besides a sore on my side?"

Then all of a sudden, he feels Itachi's presence right behind him. He hardly heard him come over but he must have walked over while he was talking. The guy is only human, not a vampire anymore. But still, his presence suddenly being right behind the frozen blonde astonished him. He dared a glance to the side and he sees Itachi looking right at him with those beautiful eyes again. Now that he's really staring at them, they looked so mysterious, empty, and yet so full of sorrow and twenty years old grief. It mesmerized the bomber so much. Then his creamy brown hand rises to Deidara's face and gently brushes his long, skinny fingers through his golden locks. It left the man breathless.

"Again, thank you. You truly are a good soul."

Then he backs away and takes his hand with him. With his pack in his other hand, Itachi goes to the door and tells him, "I will be waiting at the entrance for your arrival. I would still wish for you to pack light. We could hunt for food on the way there if you're concern." Then he was out the door and on his way to the entrance of the base. Deidara was left standing there as the sound of Itachi's light footsteps soon fade away down the hallway.

One…

Two…

Three…

It took three seconds for Deidara to come back to reality and blush in embarrassment and anger for what Itachi just did to him. "Shit-face…"

**

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So how was this one? Another ItaDei moment for those that like. Hehe. Anyway, tell me how it went and I'll shall see you guys when I can. Buh-bye!


	5. Where Are They?

**A/N: Oh gosh! I'm gonna commit suicide from my one summer school class! I can't believe how outrageous it is! I have to take a test every day and on the same day they give us a new vocabulary list, they tell us that they are going to quiz us on it the next day! God! I hardly have any time to just sit down and let the ides flow through! So I'm sorry if this chapter is a little crappy. Just five more weeks. Wahoo…**

**Anyway, thank you for those that have reviewed and favored this story. I'm so happy that people are readying it even though I'm sort of giving Itachi a bad name. Hehe… But trust me! It'll get better. I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. If I did, as you all know, Itachi would still be alive and regain Sasuke back his sanity. Thank you and enjoy!**

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Ch. 5: Where Are They?

"Leader, where is Itachi-san and Deidara-kun?" the shark looking hunter asks the man sitting behind his desk.

"And why the fuck have we all been assembled in your tiny ass office?" Hidan received a small glare from Konan, who is standing besides her boss/lover once again, for that. She really does not care for his language but he uses those words at every chance he gets with or without her present.

Like Hidan asks, about every Akatsuki member, except for Itachi, Deidara, and Zetsu of course, are inside their Leader's office being very confused as to why they're here and slightly irritated that it's god knows what time and both Hidan and Kakuzu just came back from a mission an hour ago and only got that one hour of sleep before being called in. Hidan is grouchy while Kakuzu…he always looks and acts grouchy unless there's money involved.

Having more admiration for his all and powerful leader, Kakuzu scolds, "Hidan, show some respect for our Leader." His partner was not intimidated what so ever.

"I have the right to bitch when I want, Kakuzu!" And that brought the two guys to start having an all out glaring contest with one another while playing a small game of chicken to see who will hightail and run first. Tobi got nervous just by watching them while the others saw this as normal. The masked man, or child, should really get used to this by now.

"Uh, please don't fight," he pleads with that high, childish voice of his. "Tobi doesn't like it when Hidan-senpai and Kakuzu-senpai fight."

"Shut it, Tobi!" They both yell, scaring the poor man.

"Aaah! Kisame-senpai, help me!" He runs behind the big, buff shark man and all Kisame could do was sigh at how ridiculous this is going.

"Geeze." He just wanted to go back to sleep.

All the while, Sasori stands there, leaning on the wall staying silent. He seems to be in deep thought about something and no one seemed to mind or notice. They all know what he's thinking about and it's been on his mind for the past few days. They don't think they ever saw this man this depress or this into his own thoughts before, unless you gave him a new project to work on that no other being in the world could ever complete like Itachi's vampirism.

"If you five are done fooling around," Leader intervenes, not sounding at all annoyed or bothered by their bickering and behavior. He's seen it all before. "I would like to announce something very important." Everyone in the room gives him their full attention, except for Sasori who only appears to be half listening. The others look at Leader, waiting for the news; some looking patient while Hidan looks impatient. "A few days ago, I assigned Itachi a very important mission and he had chosen Deidara to accompany him." When the hunters heard this, they all gasp in surprise but Sasori is the one who has the wide eyes and looks absolutely shocked speechless.

Then Hidan outbursts, "Ha! I knew it! Those two are fucking each other! God damnit! I never thought that Itachi had a thing for blondes."

"I didn't either," Kisame agreed, actually believing what Hidan is stupidly considering.

That got Sasori pissed as all hell. How dare they! "Don't talk about him like that." The Akatsuki members look at him, finally noticing his presence and he looks ready to unleash hell on all of them. "You don't know him like I do."

While some are considering the idea of taking steps away from the angry red head, Hidan doesn't look the least bit threatened by him at all. "Ah, sorry Sasori. But screwing with you must have rubbed off on him. Heh, maybe if you're lucky when he comes back after Itachi does all the work, he'll be begging for forgiveness and come straight to your bed, ready for you to fuck him nice and hard."

"That's it!"

A split second later, Sasori is tackling Hidan and then starts having an all out cat-fight with the guy. Smashing his hands against his face, pulling his hair, biting him when he could, scratching him with his long, painted nails, and throwing a few punches whenever he could. It took all of them by surprise and it took them a while before they decided to act and separate the two. Kakuzu, of course, got Hidan and pulled him away from Sasori as Kisame was having a little bit of a hard time trying to separate the raging red head from the silver man.

"Sasori, calm down!" Kisame yells, surprisingly using all of his strength to keep the little man away. But the man kept struggling, waving his arms and legs all over the place and nearly hitting Tobi in the face a couple of times when the masked man didn't know what to do.

Finally, Sasoei calmed down enough to yell, "I swear, Hidan, if you ever say a word against him again, I'll kill you!" At least he's not a raging animal who didn't get fed and had to take a bath all in one day. But again, Hidan didn't look frightened at all.

"Uh-huh! I like to see you try, bitch!" he yells back, not looking as crazy as Sasori at the moment. "After you give up, you can kiss the darkest hole of my skinny white ass!"

"Already have and you know something? It tastes like Kakuzu!"

After hearing that, both Kisame and Tobi instantly look at the two Zombie pairs and while Kakuzu looks paralyzed with shock, Hidan looks surprised and then disgusted as he turns to look at his partner. "Dude, that is just damn right nasty." This organization has way too many sex drama going on. Zetsu and Tobi appear to be the only ones who don't screw around with the other members senselessly whenever they want. Or are they in a secret relationship…

"Enough!" Leader calls to order, finally getting enough of this nonsense. They all look at him and he asks, "All of you, please. Can I at least tell you the mission I sent Itachi on? And Hidan, no more comments."

"Pft! Whatever." Then with that, Kakuzu releases Hidan and he just stands there looking away with his arms crossed in front of his chest like a stubborn child who didn't get what he wanted. He received one more glare from Sasori for saying that and Kisame feels reluctant on letting the puppet master hunter go until after this meeting. He doesn't want anyone to die and have him clean it up.

Now that things have quieted down, sort of, Tobi asks a little nervously, "So, huh, Leader-sama, what mission did you give Itachi-senpai and Deidara-senpai?"

Glad to hear someone finally asking him, Leader puts on a very amused and cocky grin on his face that started to fill some of the members with dread. His lover still stands beside him, concealing her emotions just as well as Itachi can. "I have sent our little love doll on a mission that will send every vampire in existence to extinction."

Hearing this became another huge surprise on those who don't know and it made Sasori gasp in even more shock, like he was the only one who got the idea of where his beloved blonde might be with a certain dark hair brunette. But it wasn't only that. It was the fact that Deidara is gonna face something big and he's not there to protect him.

"What?" Kakuzu asks.

Confused, Kisame asks, "You mean, we're gonna retire?"

"Come on, Kisame!" Apparently, Hidan is not buying this. "Get real! The extinction of the suckheads? With Deidara accompanying Itachi, that ain't gonna happen."

Forget asking Leader if he was serious. Sasori wants to turn Hidan into a human puppet while he's still alive and then toss him into the fire place like firewood. Again, Kisame pulls the guy back, unable to believe that he has so much strength when all he sees is Sasori using his puppets to fight. Of course seeing him, Kakuzu pulls Hidan back while while Mr. Foul-mouth only raises a brow. Tobi looks worryingly between the two sides. Neither Leader nor Konan look too concerned about it.

"Heh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," he says, that cocky smile still on his face. The group looks back at him, Sasori as well, and he adds, "I trust Itachi's good judgment and if he feels that Deidara is a good partner to tag along with on this mission, then I know that it was the right decision." Hidan still looks skeptical.

"Leader, come on. We all know that when it comes to entering or leaving with a bang, Deidara's got that job covered but let's face it. Itachi is going to save his ass more times than he can kiss it. Where are they going anyway?" It was only that question that distracted Kisame from being prepared to hold Sasori back and for Sasori to not try to tear Hidan to pieces again. Even though he has a pretty good idea where, he was hoping it wasn't.

"They are going to the royal vampire family where Zetsu has confirmed that the reincarnation of the Kyuubi is being protected; the Uchiha Family Castle."

It was.

This time, not caring at all, Kisame drops Sasori and asks, "You sent Itachi-san home?" Kakuzu pulls Hidan back even more as Sasori picks himself up and glares at Kisame for just dropping him and Tobi also appears to have forgotten the red head's new urge to kill the Grim Reaper of their team.

"Leader-sama, what were you thinking?"

"Itachi is a strong hunter. He can take care of himself and he has Deidara for company. He'll be just fine. Or were you worried about his emotional state, Tobi?" That hit him right on the mark. The other members look at him and the masked man is already looking down at the ground and nodding his head. He wasn't the only one who was worried. "Well don't be. Itachi's emotions are dead. They no longer exist." But despite his words and how some of the hunters figure that he's right, Sasori still remembers Deidara's words from a few mornings ago.

"_Don't talk about Itachi like that, Sasori. As far as I'm concerned, he's the only one who seems to care about everyone around him; unlike you! Sure he doesn't express it, but he's not a bad person, un."_

Itachi must have the whole organization fooled. Even Leader himself.

Then from the side of the room, a small area on the wall starts to form. Seeing its movements, everyone looks up to see a clump of wall pop out and then slowly begin to take the form of something with a rectangular shape, a shape everyone recognizes so well. When it came out a little more, it stops and then opens up like a flower, or rather a Venus Flytrap. Zetsu reveals himself and the black side tells Leader, **"Deidara and Itachi have successfully infiltrated the Uchiha castle. However, they had a slight problem."**

Okay, now they can be worried.

But Leader and Konan look perfectly at ease. "Oh? You did record _everything_, right Zetsu?"

"Of course, Leader," the white side answers. By how he sounds, the other members are really starting to worry about their two comrades who had gone off on this big, important mission without telling any of them about it!

Leader turns to them and says, "You are dismissed." They all look at him like he's crazy but he had more up his sleeve. "I only wanted to tell you about where your comrades have gone since you all have noticed and what Zetsu is about to show to me is something for me to see. But if you are even more curious about them, you are welcomed to stay. It's all up to you, really."

Like anyone is going to say no.

**

* * *

**

What happened an hour ago…

Both Itachi and Deidara are resting on a cliff behind a giant boulder and a few trees and bushes. Below them is a castle. A grand and giant castle. It looked like many other Medieval castles with the tall towers and the wide, beautiful gardens but to the hunters, they know what great evil lay lurking inside. What monsters that sleeps in the castle and how some foolish humans live there, working to the bone and donating their blood to the merciless beings without a care in the world. It's humans like them that drive every hunter in existence up the wall and wish more than anything to kill them like how they slay their prey. Deidara looks nervous by just looking it as Itachi, like always, looked emotionless and at perfect ease. But what could be noticed is the harsher, colder look in his eyes. His onyx pools resemble the eyes that belong to those same cruel, heartless monsters inside the castle.

Trying to get some confidence back in him, Deidara dares a glance up at Itachi but all it does was make him more nervous and a little freaked out. Noticing his gaze, Itachi looks at him and asks, "What?"

Now trying to act brave, Deidara answers, "N-Nothing! Just excited is all! Why are we waiting so long, un? We've been here for a good two hours. I thought you want this mission over and done with, un."

"I do, but have you not noticed the sky?"

He didn't. That being mentioned, Deidara looks up at the night sky, only to see that it was starting to get a lighter look. Most of the stars he remembered being there were starting to disappear and the once black sky is looking like a pale purple now. The realization hit him so hard it was like someone slapped him across the face. He slapped himself in the forehead instead.

Itachi asks, "So you have?"

'_How could I forget?'_ Deidara wonders, screaming to himself in his head. _'Vampire rule one-o-one! They can't handle sunlight! They're freakin night creatures, un!'_

"Okay then," he says, getting it together. He turns to Itachi and asks, "So we go in while the rest of the vampires are asleep and take out the Kyuubi, un? Is that your master plan?"

"Yes," he nods. "We will avoid more trouble if every vampire in the castle are resting. The humans will give us no trouble but Deidara, only use your bombs when it's absolutely necessary. Which includes your escape." Hearing that causes the blonde's lips to press together in a hard straight line. He knows that when he has to make his escape, he has to do it alone.

"Hey, Itachi. Can I tell you something, un?" But before he could, Itachi sharply looks at him and his stare makes Deidara shut up instantly.

"Deidara, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear your pity or anyone else's. It's wasted on me. When I tell you to go, you go. Understand?" His voice sounded so cold and so hard. It resembled ice in so many ways that his words should have come out of his mouth as blocks of ice. But he's right. It hurts, but he's right. He doesn't want any sympathy so don't give it to him.

"Kay."

"But thank you."

The blond looks at the dark brunette in surprise and Itachi stands up. "Let's go. If there are some vampires still awake, they will be weakened from the night's exhaustion. Like all creatures, they need sleep."

"Right." He stands up as well and let the hunt begin.

**

* * *

**

There you go. At least Sasori cares for Deidara and now he's starting to see how he can't make it through the day without him. Good for him. He needed a good kick in the shin. Anyway, I hope it was okay. Was it good? Bad? Let me know, kay? See ya!


	6. Too Easy

**A/N: Oh my god! After writing the last chapter, I had to keep writing. I didn't care if I was going to be tired as all heck the next day, I just HAD to write this chapter! Finally the chapter you've all been waiting for! Sasuke is checking-in this chapter. I hope you all like it!**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the Naruto story. Itachi would be alive and happily living with Sasuke if I did. –sighs- Such impossible dreams… Anyway, thank you for those that have reviewed and please keep them coming. I love every single one of my reviews and they just inspire me so much.**

**Oh by the way, I wonder if you guys can guess who these first three people are? Hehe. Thank you and enjoy!**

* * *

Ch. 6: Too Easy

**Continuation of what happened but away from Zetsu's spying eyes…**

"How many of them?" a voice asks.

After a few moments, a strong, tough feminine voice answers, "There are three of them, but only two are moving with murderous intensions. The other one is the same presence I've been sensing these past few months."

"So we have two who are going to attack and one who's watching," a different voice asks, sounding slightly amused with this little report. Besides being entertained, sounds like a trouble-making punk teenager that's always finding ways to cause excitement, not caring who gets involved or the consequences of it later. "Either that one is a coward or he just likes to watch things go by."

"No," the first voice corrects. His voice sounds smooth and firm while also sounding like a quiet, stoic boy in high school; not caring about the world, only his own goals and problems. All attention goes to him as he says, "The one who is only watching has no battle skills so instead he watches and reports while having the other two do the dirty work."

A small gasp is heard and it's from the same female. They turn to her and she says, "They're moving fast. They've already arrived at the gate. One of them just flew over while the other is having trouble climbing."

"Flew over? What kind of hunter flies? Is he using some type of weapon of some kind?" the playful male voice asks.

"No," she answers and that brought confusion to the other two males. She looks confused as well as she describes, "It's like he can naturally jump great heights without any trouble at all and…his presence is…different somehow."

"Different? How different?"

"Like…he's human but not fully human. Or he could be a vampire with very weak powers."

"A vampire? You're kidding me right? I can understand if it's a human vampire hunter with some strange birth given gifts or someone who has been training like crazy since the day he was born but what vampire would hunt their own kind?"

"It's the same as asking, 'Why would a vampire turn on his own kind and despise it with all of their being?'" Then there was silence. Not the woman or the other man said anything. After a moment of thought, the serious one decides, "We'll let them go and see what they're after. However, I already have an idea of what it is. Just don't wake him up. He's exhausted and needs a long rest. Don't wake mother or father up either."

This time when the woman spoke, she spoke a little softer with care, confusion, and concern. "But what are you going to do?"

"I am going to greet our guests on their way out. They're not entering this castle and getting out alive."

**

* * *

**

With Deidara and Itachi from Zetsu's view…

Deidara peeks his head out from behind the wall and he sees two guards standing in front of a door, the door that will be the last shield for the Kyuubi's reincarnation. Seeing that there only two guards and they're human, Deidara smirks and cockiness takes over his expression. "Child's play, un," he comments. Itachi stands besides him, listening to the blonde's remarks and calculating in his head of what to do next. But then his partner turns to him and asks quietly, "Hey, can I use some smoke bombs on these guys? Since there's two of them, one for you and one for me."

"This is not a game, Deidara," he says, being serious.

But he whines, "Yeah, I know. But don't you want it to be fair, un? Besides, my smoke bombs are really quiet. The only sense these guys are going to be using is their sense of sight. They won't hear these bombs coming, un." Since the guy is begging him and someone is bond to find them sooner or later, how can he decline? The vampires may be asleep but that didn't mean that their humans are completely worthless. They don't have time for this.

Eventually, he gave in. "Do as you please."

With permission granted, Deidara goes to his pack that's resting on his hip and he takes out two small little white birds. He kneels down to the ground and almost like they came to life, the tiny white birds hop away towards the guards. The blonde watches as his two birds make their way to the guards without being seen. Since the tile floor is white they blend right in. When each bird landed on a guard's foot, they exploded and like how Deidara promised, they were silent and the guards only had a second before becoming completely blinded by the smoke.

"What the hell?"

"Where did this smoke come from?"

Then they felt hits. Multiple ones targeting every limp on their bodies. Before the smoke even cleared, the two guards are on the ground at Deidara's and Itachi's feet. They didn't stand a chance, being blinded like that. But to be defeated so quickly is simply disappointing. The hunters would think that being the Kyuubi's guards, they should have at least tried to fight back an invisible enemy. Instead they took it all and are now unconscious before them. Pathetic…

"These were supposed to be the reincarnation's body guards?" Deidara wonders, poking the guard with his foot. "It wasn't even much of a warm up, un. This job is going to be done before we know it. Looks like to me we don't need that backup plan, un." But Itachi wasn't convinced.

"No. It's not that."

"Uh? What do you mean?" Deidara asks.

But he doesn't answer. Itachi approaches the door and then just stares at the door knob, calculating in his head again. He thinks, _'Weak body guards and other humans should have noticed us by now. Rather it's by accident or they already found out that we're here. This castle is too quiet. Something is not right. This job is too easy.'_

"Deidara, give me one of your shoes."

Not a mind reader and was still waiting for his question to be answered, Deidara asks, "What? Use one of your own, un." But all Itachi had to do was look at the blonde from the corner of his eyes and Deidara instantly felt like those eyes are saying, 'Either give me the shoe or I'm gonna rip it off. You choose.' He sighed. "Alright, alright, un. Stop glaring." He takes his shoe off and throws it at the dark brunette in hopes that Itachi got the message that Deidara doesn't like to be bossed around. But Itachi just catches it with one hand and then uses the bottom part to touch the door knob. Nothing and that made Itachi all the more suspicious and Deidara all the more confused. "Okay. What the heck is going on?" Still no answer. Itachi still uses the shoe to push the door knob down and pushes the door open before tossing Deidara his shoe back. As he puts his shoe on, Deidara says, "Itachi, if you don't tell me what's going on right now, I'll-"

Interrupting him, Itachi raises a finger to his lips and the blond stops. When it became quiet, Itachi looks inside and Deidara looks over his shoulders. Inside, they see a room with the common accessories: a dresser, a desk, a counter, a book shelf, a closet, a bed, and a person sleeping on the bed. When Itachi looks at the dark figure on that bed, he becomes even more suspicious as Deidara becomes excited. This really is too easy.

The guards are too weak, there have been no alarm, no one else has noticed they're here, and there have been no traps as of far. What exactly is going on?

"Target locked." Deidara steps in front of Itachi and walks right into the room. Then Itachi sees a very skinny string being pulled as Deidara walks right in. But before he could say anything, the string breaks and the alarm goes off, blaring out loud sirens and flashing red lights. There's the trap.

Covering his ears from the earsplitting noise, Deidara asks, "What the fuck?" But his voice is being over powered by the alarm. Since there is now light in the room, Itachi, while also covering his ears, looks over to the bed and he sees a dummy. On the face is a marked drawing of someone sticking their tongues out and giving the peace sign. It was a child prank and they fell for it.

Then Itachi senses something. He looks up at the door frame and he sees a metal bar wall coming down. He quickly steps inside the room and the wall just barely hit him but now both him and Deidara are locked inside the room. Seeing Itachi, Deidara turns around to see the same thing. But being locked in wasn't the half of it. Itachi looks up at the ceiling when he senses danger and he sees arrow guns coming out of the wall and aiming at anything in any direction. If every arrow is shot at the same time, then there is no blind spot for them to escape. Seeing Itachi looking up, Deidara looks up and sees the same thing too. Then the guns fire. But Itachi quickly takes a big, deep breathe in and creates a circle with his fingers in front of his lips. When he blew out, a giant fireball appears and burns every arrow into ash. Deidara had to raise his arms up to protect himself from the hot flames. When it stopped, he looks up to see the arrows miraculously being nothing but ash. But when he looks at Itachi to know what the heck that was, he sees the man looking completely exhausted. It was like he used all of his energy to create that fireball and now he looks ready to pass out. Then it got worst. All of a sudden, Itachi's chest tightens and aches. He places his hand over his heart in reaction to it while the other over his mouth. He starts coughing and blood seeps through his fingers and rolls down his chin.

'_I've only seen him use his vampire powers to heat up his serum when it's not defrosted. I never see him use them in training and practice and Kisame never mentions anything about him using it on their missions. Using all of his energy to create that fireball must have really damaged his body, un. If I recall correctly, he didn't even take one of his serums for the past two days. Did he forget to pack them or something? No. It's not that, un. He never forgets anything. He left them on purpose, un.'_

Now knowing the real reason to why Itachi is suffering like this, Deidara looks back at the metal bar door and goes to his pack. That's the way they came in and that's the way they are getting out of here. He takes out at least six millipede sculptures for the three polls and tosses them at it. Once attacked, the bombs exploded and there became a semi-loud _boom_. Itachi stopped coughing, finally and look behind to see that the door is open to them. Deidara quickly yells, "Come on, let's get out of here!" Instead of waiting for a reply, Deidara just grabs the guy's wrist and pulls him out of the room with him. They ran out of that room and down the hallways. It didn't take long till they started to hear voices of guards coming after them. But from Itachi could sense, they're not human.

'_What in the world is going on?'_ he wonders, confused as can be. Deidara doesn't have the sensing ability Itachi does so when he turned at one corner and nearly ran into a guard, he was shock to see him as a vampire.

'_The fuck?'_

"I've got you now, intruders." But that's what he said before he saw Itachi. When his flaring red eyes sees the beautiful dark hair brunette, his eyes widens when he recognizes him. "It can't be… Prince Itachi?" Then before Deidara could blink, Itachi gets out of the blonde's hold and his hand covers the guard's eyes. All the bomber could do was watch as soon the guard's head bursts into flames and Itachi pulls away to allow the guard to scream and collapse to his knees as he slowly dies. It took minutes but Deidara felt like it happened all too fast for him to progressed it actually happened. That's why it became a shock when Itachi spoke to him, breathlessly.

"Deidara, use your bombs, now!" Then he starts coughing again and more blood comes spilling out. Seeing him like that pauses the blonde bomber from acting so fast. The sight of someone as strong as Itachi fall this much is truly frightening and unbelievable, like a terrible nightmare you just want to wake up from but can't. But right now, that fallen man is asking Deidara for help and he needs to do something, NOW! Quickly, Deidara goes to his pack and takes out a bigger sculptor. This time, it looks like a spider.

"Over there!"

"Get'um!"

Deidara looks over his shoulder, down from the path they came from and he sees more guards coming at them, most of them vampires. If it's near dawn, why are these guards still awake? The Akatsuki bomber didn't have time to wonder on such petty things right now. Since Itachi is occupied and with his sweat-soaked, damp hair on his face covering it, the other guards didn't recognize him. All they see is a blonde, a dark brunette, and the dead body of a vampire guard. Deidara has to act fast. Quickly, he throws the spider bomb on the wall right in front of them and right when it was attached to its target, it explodes, hitting some of the guards themselves and blocking the others from coming any closer. It also made a hole in the wall for these escape.

Deidara was so occupied with his bomb, he didn't see Itachi wiping the blood away from his face and then bending down to the guard to take his sword for safety reasons. The blonde turns to him and yells, "Let's get out of here, un!" Then he runs out and Itachi follows him. Now being outside, they both can see that sky has gotten lighter. Very soon the sun will come out and any vampire that gets touched with the sun's rays will be burned to a crisp like they're supposed to or be totally exhausted under the shade. How is it that they're not?

Being outside, Deidara goes to his pack again and takes out a sculptor of an eagle this time. But when he tosses to it, he tosses it up and it suddenly expands in the sky, flapping its wings and flying as if it were a real live giant bird. Deidara jumps up and lands on top of the bird. Then he looks down and offers his hand to Itachi.

"You're not dying today! Get on!"

Itachi does jump up but he jumps up higher than the bird's flight level. That was because someone appears behind Deidara with a sword in hand and ready to slice the blond in half, or at least the bird. Seeing him rise higher, Deidara quickly turns around to see his attacker first look surprise by Itachi's sudden appearance and was just able to block Itachi's attack. But he quickly pushes Itachi's stolen sword back and this time attacks him. Itachi blocks it but the attacker still pushes forward till they're both falling down to the ground. The blonde bomber only watches as Itachi soon pushes his attacker off of him right when they were going to hit the ground. Both of them land safely on the ground with ease. The attacker raises his sword at Itachi, positioning himself in a powerful offense pose. One thing for sure is that he's a swordsman and from the power in his attacks and his stance, a very skilled one at that. Itachi positions himself as well before telling Deidara, "Go."

"Uh?"

"You heard me. When I tell you to go, I mean go. Now move it. You'll only be in my way."

But the bomber still looks reluctant to go. Sure he said that he would go when ordered to but that was when he thought Itachi was going to die after killing the Kyuubi and Deidara was going to be chased by the loyal human guards. How can he just leave a comrade in battle when it's obvious that what Itachi is doing right now is pure self sacrificing and suicidal?

The swordsman, then all of a sudden, changes directions on whom he's targeting. He charges at Deidara and the blonde didn't react fast enough. Using as much strength as he could muster, Itachi does the same thing as he did to the arrows by creating his giant fireball. Seeing the fire, the attacker glides back down to the ground and Deidara had no choice but to fly up and away from the Uchiha castle. If his bomb catches on fire, it's all over. He'll be the unfortunate one to explode into a million pieces. Seeing him leaving, Itachi stops his fireball and a wave of pain shots through his whole body. Sweat is already forming in the size of golf balls on his brow and his hair is sticking to his face like glue. He used too much of his vampire powers that he really shouldn't be using and without taking his serum for several days, he could either die or his body will suffer immense amount of damage; if this vampire is merciful enough to let him live.

"For someone to have such a weak presence as a vampire…"

Itachi wearily looks at the swordsman as he finishes, "you certainly have some power." However, thanks to his hazy vision caused from his body's deep desire to just give up, Itachi can hardly see this person's face. But by his voice, he could be a boy; too deep for a young boy but not quite a man's voice. It sounds so serious and cold, so much like his own. Itachi says nothing as he can tell that this vampire is possibly looking at him with monster red hungry eyes, staring at the brunette's weakened form. "I wonder why exactly a vampire such as you will go out of his way to save someone who would very much kill you once your back was turned."

'_You don't know him.'_ Itachi remains silent, panting and trying to get some air in his lungs. He can tell that he has very little time left so he has to make this quick and at least try to bring this swordsman down with him if he really is going to die. _'At least I got Deidara to escape and return to the others. If I do die here, then that just means that I'll get to see you very soon after all, Shisui.'_

Itachi raises the sword again and prepares himself to act on either defense or offense. The swordsman can tell that the vampire hunter before him won't last very long and he might make this fight a little boring. But at least he could be entertained with the fact that this hunter is even considering the chance he could kill him. It truly is entertaining. Enough for the swordsman to slightly smirk before making the first move. He may not see very well but Itachi could see that he needs to go on defense.

_Cling, clang_

_Cling, clang_

_Cling, clang_

It went on. The swordsman keeps attacking, not giving Itachi enough time to make an attack himself and only able to move on defense. The swordsman is pushing him back with such speed and strength, it amazes Itachi on how well his control is. The speed is great but the attacks are only strong enough to clang with his sword instead of breaking it. He's either toying with Itachi or he must really enjoy fights and just suddenly ending it would be no fun at all. Soon, Itachi's back is up against the wall of the castle and he only had a second to realize that. The swordsman then took the chance to go in for the kill. He thrusts his sword towards Itachi's heart but the vampire hunter only slightly moves to the side to avoid it. Now the swordsman sword is stuck to the wall. Itachi moves completely out of the way and by the time his enemy has his sword free, Itachi's already behind him with his sword high in the air for the swing. One slice off the head and it'll be over. But as Itachi noticed before, the swordsman's speed is incredible. He was able to swiftly grasp Itachi's delicate-looking, slender wrist that held the sword and swings his sword to cut Itachi in half. He does the same. Itachi grasps the wrist that's holding the sword and with both hands occupied, both Itachi and the swordsman are standing before each other, wanting to kill the other. But with the other holding the other back, they're pretty much just standing there with a test of strength. And yet because they're holding each other back and are this close to each other, Itachi is actually able to get a good look of his enemy's face.

But the face of this vampire became the most shocking sight of all.

The vampire before him truly does look like a boy. Possibly around the age of sixteen or seventeen. But knowing the vampire age rules, he's most likely somewhere in his mid thirties. There was no doubt at all that this vampire is attractive, like many others. In the small light of the new day, his porcelain skin looks absolutely radiant from it. It looks so beautiful, so flawless. It reminded him of how his skin used to look when he was a vampire. Surprisingly, his eyes are not red with the excitement of battle or the hunger for Itachi's blood. They are an onyx black color that is just like his voice. So firm and serious. His raven black hair compliments his skin and his small, round face so perfectly. It's shoulder length and the back of it appears to be defying gravity. Gazing upon it, Itachi had this urge to just run his fingers through it and feel how soft that hair would be between his fingers. But, he feels as though he's already done that. Most swordsmen that Itachi have met are tall and huge with big buff muscles on their shoulders, arms, torso, and legs. This one is a little shorter than him by a few inches and he has more of a slender form than a muscular one. But the muscles are there and they're visible on his body since he's able to push Itachi back. However, it wasn't the size of his muscles, the form of his body, or the incredible beauty that causes Itachi to take a closer look on this man. It was how his hair was styled, the color of his eyes, and how his face structure looks so familiar. Then it clicked. Realizing who he is, Itachi's eyes widen and his mind becomes a blank. A long time ago, there was someone with the same features this swordsman had. It was a little boy and he used to have the world's most beautiful, adorable smile.

"Sa..suke?" he asks, unable to believe.

Curious as to how this vampire hunter before him knows his name, Sasuke takes a closer look at him. Then his eyes widen and his breathe hitched when he realizes who exactly this man is.

"Aniki...?"

**

* * *

**

Dun-dun-DUN! Now what's Sasuke going to do and what's the rest of his reaction? Well just got to wait and see. Tell me how it went, kay? Till next time!


	7. Oops My Bad

**A/N: Here you guys go. Another moment you have been waiting for the rest of Sasuke's reaction to his brother's return. Since it was the weekend and I didn't have that much homework, I wrote this for you. I hope you like it and it might take me a few days or probably the end of the week to unleash the next one. It's good that I know how the next one is going to turn out or it'll be longer.**

**I do NOT OWN any of the Naruto Characters or the story. Or Itachi would be alive and both him and Sasuke could kick some serious butt. Thank you for those that reviewed and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. In the end, you might hate Pein. Thank you and enjoy!**

* * *

Ch. 7: Oops My Bad

Itachi couldn't believe it. The vampire before him, the one with a sword in his hand that Itachi is holding back while the vampire is doing the same with his stolen sword, is his little brother, Sasuke. The last time he saw him, Sasuke was only a child and now he's grown up to be such a stunning, aesthetic being. For some strange reason, Itachi's beating heart just went faster and his mind became a blank. He didn't think about what was going on around him, where he was, and why he was here. It was all canceled out. He only saw the beautiful creature standing before him, looking just as shocked as he is. Then his brother got angry.

Sasuke's eyes turn red and practically glowed a bright red color. He grits his teeth together, revealing his canines extending to greater length. By the time that Itachi saw his glaring eyes and his long fangs, he couldn't move fast enough. Sasuke pulls his hands away, Itachi's grip have been loosen from his shock, and the boy kicked his brother right in the chest not caring this time on how much strength he put into it. Itachi's eyes widen from the pain and he heard three cracks from his ribcage before he went flying and hit the stone wall fence. Blood spews out of his mouth as those cracks became breaks and he hears one more crack from his back. After creating a small crater in the wall, he collapses to the ground, the pain taking over his body and plunging him into unconsciousness. Because of his earlier actions of using his powers, he didn't have the strength to stay away any longer.

'_He's…strong.'_

Then he falls unconscious and Sasuke is standing there, snarling with his eyes inflamed with anger. He orders, "Get up!" his voice now deep and harsh. Itachi didn't move. He simply lays there, unconscious. It made Sasuke all the more angry. He was so consumed by his emotions that he didn't notice someone coming up behind him.

"I said…" Sasuke raises his sword again into a deadly stance and gets ready to charge. "GET UP!"

But before he could even take a step closer, someone grabs him from behind with arms wrapped around his shoulders and waist. "Sasuke, stop it!"

Sasuke looks at the one who stopped him and he sees blond, spiky hair and sky blue eyes. He knows only one vampire who has features like him. It's his best friend and the one who he's sworn to protect, Naruto. But despite his friend's plea, he didn't obey quite yet.

"You dope, get off of me!" he yells, trying to break free from his friend's grip. Because he's yelling and screaming and practically beyond simple reasoning, it made the blonde angry as he keeps his grip on his friend.

"Excuse me, but you're not the one who gets to order me around, teme!" he yells back.

"Then let me ask you nicely to get the fuck off of me!"

"That doesn't sound nice." Now he's making Sasuke really angry. He starts growling at him to try and scare this being off of him but he doesn't budge an inch, no matter how scared he is of his friend's glare when he's snapped. "I'm not getting off, Sasuke. Don't you see that if you attack him full on now, you're gonna kill him." So the kid is worried about the well being of Sasuke's brother? The one who denounced his throne and left twenty years ago?

"I don't care! That miserable fuck deserves every bit of pain I can offer to him!"

"And he'll only be getting a tiny bit of it because he's human!"

Hold on! What?

"Uh?" Sasuke lost his glare and the furry on his face disappears. He looks back at the unconscious man several yards away from him and he's absolutely dumbfounded. "He's…human?" For a moment, Naruto looked a bit willing to let his friend go now that he's calmed down. But Sasuke instantly gained back that anger and tried charging at Itachi again. "That traitorous wretch! I'm gonna suck him dry in the most excruciating way possible!" Good thing Naruto didn't let go of him just yet. Now this pale skin, black hair beauty is ready to destroy not only his brother, but an entire nation plus an army.

"Stop it already, teme! That's an order from your god!" As soon as Sasuke heard that, he stops. He just froze and Naruto could feel the raven hair finally calm down. It took several more minutes but soon Sasuke lowers his sword, his eyes return back to his onyx color, and his fangs retracted. Naruto hesitantly let him go and there's a mask of guilt on his face. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to use that against you, but if you let your anger and your hatred take over, it'll eat away at you and I don't want to lose my friend."

No matter how much he didn't like it, the dope is right. Hearing his friend's silent apology in his voice, Sasuke took a few more minutes to completely calm down. Even though right now, he would love nothing more than to tear his now human brother apart but then he won't be the same anymore and that's the one thing that Naruto is most afraid of; losing something precious. He lets out a sigh to show that he's calm and he says, "Forgive me, then. But answer me this, if you don't want me to kill him then what do you want me to do? This guy can't just walk out of here after what he's done."

It became a relief to hear that, but now that brings up another problem. Sasuke's right. Itachi broke into the castle, tried to kill Naruto, caused several building damages, and he killed a vampire guard. Even if he was still the prince of this castle, he won't get off so easily. "Well I wasn't planning on that," Naruto answers truthfully. "But he has been a bad vampire and deserves to be punished. I say, bring him in, dress his wounds since we don't want him dying on us just yet, and give him a trial. I'll let them make the decision but I won't allow any execution." From pleading to yelling, then guilty to his hyper, loving self; this kid is full of unpredictability.

Hearing that idea causes Sasuke to huff like his well know stubborn self. "Whatever, but I refuse to carry him in or dress his wounds."

Well at least he's back to his old self. That's much of a relief but his attitude causes Naruto to shake his head with a smile on his face and letting out a sigh. "You're so stubborn, teme."

Sasuke just rolls his eyes. "Just get inside where it's safe. Father is going to lecture you again if he finds you outside your room when there's an emergency."

"But it was a good thing I did come out though, huh?"

Sasuke's only response became a snarl and eyes glaring at the blonde vampire. Being used to his glare, Naruto only puts on his famous idiotic looking grin. Then he looks back at the unconscious Itachi and rushes to him. Sasuke's eyes follow him but when he caught sight of the dark hair brunette on the ground, his eyes narrow into a harsher glare. There's anger in his onyx eyes and he's very tempted to allow his eyes to turn red again but he has better control than that. There was something else too. Seeing his older brother again after so many years causes a small bit of pain to appear in those black eyes of his. Then he looks up.

Naruto kneels down besides Itachi and places his hand on his forehead. _'He looks so much like Sasuke. It's amazing. I think this is the first time I ever really saw him,'_ he thinks, observing him. _'I think he left before I was introduced to the King's kids.'_ Then when his hand slides to his back and waist, his eyes widen in shock. "Sasuke, you went too hard on him!" he yells. "You broke three of his ribs and you cracked his spin!" Then all of a sudden, Sasuke's hand glows blue with lightning and he swings it at Naruto. Three spikes fly at him but instead of hitting him, it hit three spider sculptors that were aiming for him. Naruto looks behind to see those sculptors getting pinned to the stone wall behind him. He looks up and he sees the same thing that Sasuke noticed only a few seconds ago. Deidara is stand on his flying eagle. Because of Sasuke's actions, Deidara glares at the vampire prince and he looks ready to explode.

He yells, "Hand over Itachi, you bastard!"

"Why would we do that?" Sasuke asks, his voice sounding exactly like Itachi's – hard and emotionless. "As far as I know, he no longer concerns you. He is in our hands now." Hearing his voice, listening to his words; it made Deidara angry as hell. There is no doubt at all that he's Itachi's little brother. They not only look alike, they act alike.

'_Little brat…'_ "I won't allow it!" he yells. "I won't allow him to return to the hell he left behind!" Quickly, he goes to his pack and takes out several more spider bombs. He throws them up in the air. Naruto gasps when he sees them and Sasuke quickly leaps to where he and Itachi is and picks them both up. Then he jumps back right when the bombs landed and exploded. But as he leaps back to safety, Naruto hears a loud _crack_ coming from Itachi.

"Teme, you broke his spine!"

Hearing that, Deidara's eyes widen in shock and horror as Sasuke looks at the unconscious man before making a 'tch' sound. When he places both of them back down, he tells Naruto, "If you want to heal him so badly, you do it!" Naruto could not believe the words just spoken from the raven hair's lips.

"Are you crazy, teme? I would gladly do it but you know the rules."

"I know the damn rules but you just said that I broke his spine, right? I thought you were the one who wanted him to live!" He's got a point. Sasuke puts his attention back on Deidara and grasps the handle of his sword again. "Just hurry it up. One drop should do it." Then he leaps towards the blonde hunter and Naruto had no time to talk to him more on the subject. He watches Sasuke charge at Deidara before turning back to Itachi.

"Man…" Naruto kneels down to Itachi and he can hear that the man is having a very hard time breathing now that his spine is broken. "You own me for this one, teme." He raises a finger to his mouth and pricks one at his razor sharp fang. He squeezes the finger until the blood start gushing out. Then he hovers it over Itachi's mouth and watches as it drips inside. He allowed more than one drop to enter Itachi's lips.

In mid air, Sasuke gets ready to pull his sword out and attack. Deidara became prepared for that but then the sun came out and blinded the blonde at the corner of his eyes. He became distracted and quickly raises his arm up to block the light. When he could see again, he became shock to the point of becoming motionless. He still sees Sasuke coming at him, unafraid of the sunlight filling up the sky and unaffected by it as it touches his skin and his body. He didn't burst into flames or bellow in pain. He's completely fine.

'_Impossible!'_

Being distracted and shocked, he allowed Sasuke to have the chance to take out his sword and swing it at him. It was coming at him too fast and even if he moves in time to avoid any serious damage, he won't go unscratched. He ducks and the sword misses most of his body. It didn't, however, miss his arm. Sasuke cut it off like butter and a hot knife.

"Aaah!" Deidara screams, grasping the remains of his arm. Both Sasuke and his arm fall down to the ground and Sasuke landed on his feet like a cat. Blood comes gushing out of Deidara and he winces and moans from the pain. Sweat forms on his brow and his teeth clench together from screaming anymore. He collapses to his knees on top of his eagle and glares daggers at the vampire prince below. "Damn you… How the hell are you able to stay out in the sun?"

But Sasuke ignores his question. "Be grateful that I'm letting you go without an arm instead of your life. If I were you, I would listen to what that man told you do. Leave and the next time you come back, I won't go so easy on you." Then Sasuke raises his hand and it glows blue again, strings of lightning bending and twisting all around. "Or do you wish for me to finish you off now? I'm sure you know what happens when my lightning touches your bombs." Deidara glares harsher at him and he snarls at him as well.

'_Damn this kid. How the hell did he figure out that his lightning disables my bombs? This is the first time I'm fighting him and he already knows that much? God damn it!'_ Then his eyes move over to Naruto and Itachi. The blonde vampire is looking up at him as Itachi is still unconscious. Seeing him causes Deidara to bite his lip and guilt appears on his face. _'If I don't get this wound patched up now, I'm gonna bleed to death. I'm already at a disadvantage as it is. I thought for sure that if I kept the kid outside when the sun comes up, I could take him out and grab Itachi. But they can withstand sunlight! Damn this whole thing to hell!'_

"Itachi, I'll be back before they do and I'm taking you with me; vampire or not." Then the eagle turns around and flies away. But when he passed a certain distance, Sasuke's skin begins to burn.

"Ah," he winces, covering his face when he felt it. Then few seconds later, his skin begins to regenerate and return back to his smooth, ivory skin. He looks back up at Deidara and glares. Even though he whispered those words, Sasuke heard him and so did Naruto.

Sasuke thinks as he watches the blonde hunter fly away, _'No way in fuckin hell is that ever happening!'_ Naruto on the other hand stares at the hunter in wonder.

Since the threat is gone now, Sasuke places his sword back in its sheath behind him and walks back to the dope and his human brother. He bends besides Itachi and asks Naruto, "Did you give it to him?" He places his hand on the dark brunette's head to inspect his injuries as Naruto smiles.

"Yep!"

When Sasuke came to Itachi's back and waist, his eyes widen and his lips became a straight line. Then he hits Naruto right across the head.

"Ow! The heck was that for, teme?"

"You are a complete idiot! I told you a drop! Not two!"

"The guy was dying! He was having a hard time breathing because you went too hard on him, teme!"

"I thought he was a freakin vampire when I attacked him! A few cracked ribs would have been his only injuries if he was still a vampire!"

"Next time you're uncertain, check his blood! Because he had completely broken ribs and his spin broke at the slight movement of his back! His blood was all over his hands and clothes after using his fire powers, Sasuke! Check it!"

Now this guy is really testing Sasuke's patience. Not to mention that he really doesn't want Naruto to point out the fact that he was so shocked to see his brother that he became careless. "Ugh, forget it! I'm not arguing with you over this! But next time you try and lecture me about bending the rules, don't overdo it! One drop is enough for father to let it slide and it's enough to get this bastard's wounds healed half way! Two drops not only means major trouble from father and the council, but it also means that this guy can wake up any minute!"

"The situation was freaking me out, teme!" he excused. "The guy was dying and there was another freakin hunter trying to kill me! What would you have done in my position? Also if you're so worried about him waking up, then carry him inside already!"

Right now, Sasuke just feels like running up the nearest, tallest mountain and just scream at the world. Naruto is driving him crazy and the worst part, the dope is right. He hates it when he's right at things like this.

"Fine, whatever! But he's not waking up in a hospital bed! The minute he's up, he's having his trial! Got it?" Well, at least it's better than nothing.

"Got it. Let's just hurry it up before anyone else comes in. Itachi's not gonna have the same 'special treatment' we're giving him."

'_Oh, I'll give him special treatment. I'm gonna give this guy the worst hell he's ever seen!'_

* * *

"My, my, my."

As soon as Zetsu was finished, everyone else was in gasping shock. They just couldn't believe it. Itachi was captured and Deidara got his arm cut off. Not to mention that the vampires were awake and they could handle sunlight. How could this have happened? How was it even possible? Besides the sunlight bit, they all know how strong Itachi is, but he pushed himself by using his vampire powers. Everyone knows that since Itachi is human, using his powers doubles…no, triples the effects it does to his body compared to if he was still a vampire. He knows better than anyone that he's limited on using them. But he used them in order to not only make sure that they got out of that castle, but to protect Deidara and make sure that he doesn't get captured like he did. Now in his little brother's hands, that man is as good as dead. His little brother was another issue. Sasuke looks so much like him that the resemblance is astonishing. He looked like Itachi only younger and cuter. Itachi is gorgeous as Sasuke looks adorable. But behind that cute face is a whole lot of strength. He took out Itachi with one blow, even though the older male was at a disadvantage.

After seeing what Zetsu had to show them, Kisame, Hidan, Kakuzu, and possibly Tobi, can't really tell since he's wearing a mask, has their eyes and their mouths wide open in surprise as Sasori looks shock/horrified. He just saw Deidara nearly gotten killed by vampires and got his arm cut off. It tortured him that he wasn't there and Itachi had to be the one to save him, except when he was unconscious. Now the only things he could feel in his heart are deep concern and horror. The only thing he wants right now is the reassurance that Deidara is okay, or at least coming back to the base to get treated.

Then the small chuckle of their leader took them away from their thoughts.

As they look at his direction, he looks amused as Konan still looks expressionless as she gazes upon her lover. "I guess, I can say that it's my fault I allowed them to attack at dawn." Now looks of confusion look at him as now Konan has her eyes narrow in a glare and Zetsu narrows his eyes as well. "I forgot to tell them about their new sun protection barrier."

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So what do you think? Bad Pein for not telling them. Well tell me how it was, kay? Till next time!


	8. OneSide Mission and Trial

**A/N: Oh my gosh! Finally! I thought this chapter was never going to be done. But it is. Hallelujah! Now that Itachi's back in the castle, what's gonna happen in his trial? Just gotta read to find out, huh?**

**I do NOT OWN any of the Naruto Characters or the story line. You know what I would do if I did. ItaSasu forever, baby! Thank you for those that reviewed and please keep them coming! I love every single one of them and I'm sorry that this chapter is so long. I was trying to get as much stuff as I could in there and it came out this long. Wow. Thank you and enjoy!**

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Ch. 8: One-Side Mission and Trial

_**Rest of Leader's and Itachi's Discussion three days ago…**_

_Hearing the news about the Kyuubi's existence became a surprise to Itachi, but hearing that the reincarnation is living behind the walls of the Uchiha castle he had once called home became a shocker. He knows that the Uchiha vampire family is the most powerful of all vampire families so it's really a no real surprise that the Kyuubi's new host would be taken care of and protected by the family. The only reason why he's surprise is that he didn't know about the Kyuubi's reincarnation before he left. He didn't even know that such a being was even born._

"_Are you sure about this?" he asks, wondering if what his Leader's words are true. Like always, his Leader looks amused with every little thing that happens before him; good or bad._

"_By Zetsu's report, yes," he answers, giving Itachi an amused smirk. The ex-vampire's shock expression relaxes back to his emotionless expression as his Leader continues, "I'm assigning you this mission because I have a feeling that you would be upset if I assigned it to someone else without your knowledge. However, this mission is a little too big for you."_

"_So you wish for me to choose a hunter to accompany me, then." It was more of a statement than it was for a question. All the other times Itachi is assigned to missions, it's mostly with Kisame and hardly with anyone else. Leader usually chooses who would accompany Itachi if Kisame is not the fitting partner to have. For example, Kisame is more for missions of literally hunting down their prey, Sasori is for using his puppets to attract vampire children, Deidara is for breaking and entering, Kakuzu is usually for robbing and swift assassinations, Hidan is…Itachi doesn't go on missions with him because he and Leader both know that Hidan would get distracted with the idea of one day ravishing Itachi in his sleep. Zetsu is the spying type and never has hunter partners and Tobi is…too childish for any real hunting Itachi has to deal with but at least Tobi makes things entertaining._

_The smirk on Leader's face widens. "Sharp as always, Itachi and you guess right. Your intelligence and strategies are by far more superior than anyone else in this organization and you and I both started this organization. I believe it's about time I give you the freedom you deserve. You have the choice of who you think is better fitted for this mission. You must be swift and silent if you wish to assassinate the vampire god without any disturbances. Usually I would enroll Hidan but unless there's a reward involve, he won't do it. But be very careful as to who you are choosing for your last mission, Itachi. I would hate for you to get killed before you take every vampire down with you once the Kyuubi is dead. But there is one more thing I want to say to you. If you ever where to get captured and worked as a slave to your once so called 'family', let me give you a one-sided mission if that were to happen. I want you to gather as much information as you can, information that Zetsu has yet to discover. Their strengths, weakness, arm forces; anything you can find. Then once we come over at the end of your week period should you fail, you can tell us once we collect you and we will take down these vampires once and for all. You, Itachi, will finally be free."_

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Present…

When Itachi finally woken up, the first thing he feels is the cold. The cold, stone floor beneath him, the cold heavy chains on his wrists and throat, and the cold temperature of the room. He's lying down on his side and it pains him to even move. But he has to because he needs to know his surroundings. After a few seconds of a daze feeling clouding his mind and allowing his hazy vision to return back to normal, he starts pushing himself up. His wrists are bond together in front of him and the other end of that chain is connected to the floor. Same goes for the chain around his throat. It looks like a big round collar around his thin neck. It also made him feel like a dog. When he sat up, he had a slight headache. Or rather a huge one.

'_Damn, my head. Where…'_

He took that time to allow his eyes to wonder around a bit. Then he understood exactly where he is. All around him are stands with burning candles on the top. They're not so tall that if he stood up, they would over shadow him. In fact if he could, can't because of the chains, those candle stands would be half his height. They just surround him with a five six radius all around and they stand three feet apart from each other. But beyond those candle stands, he can see figures. Because of the candle light messing with his vision, he can't see them clearly but by their aura, it's vampires and powerful ones. Two words came to Itachi's head as he observes them: _'Vampire Council'_. Great, he's in trial. Perfect…

'_How did…'_

Then memories begin to flow through his head like a running river. Memories of how Deidara and him found the fake Kyuubi and how they were almost skewered by the millions of arrows, how he burned them, how Deidara tried to get the two of them to escape, the swordsman, the fight, and…finding out that the swordsman is his little brother. He also remembered his little brother's enraged face when he figured out who Itachi was. He even remembers the kick in his chest and the broken ribs and severely cracked spin he gained after crashing into the stone wall…

Hold on!

Stone wall?

Breaks and cracks?

A small bit of surprise appears on Itachi's face as he focuses on how he's feeling right now. Besides the headache, the sore muscles of lying on the hard ground, and the cold, uncomfortable, heavy metal of the chains on his neck and wrists, he feels just fine. He's not in agonizing pain from his side or his back. Wounds like that a human would take weeks, sometimes months, to recover and to be fully healed that would take even months longer. But he feels perfectly fine now. How could he have healed so fast in only a short amount of time?

"Took you long enough to wake up."

After hearing that voice and those words, he decides to try and figure out how he's perfectly fine later. All Itachi has to do is look up to the side and he sees the form of his little brother standing before him with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he gives off an annoyed vibe while trying to appear like a confident capture; in control, powerful, and intimidating. Because Sasuke's inside the circle of candles, Itachi can see his face accompanied by the shadows. It gave a nice dark and dangerous look but Itachi's not at all unsettled. He only feels a little irritated with the fact that he didn't notice him till he spoke, despite being in a room full of powerful, old vampires. His little brother fit right in.

He greets, "Hello, otouto."

Sasuke got angry. A light growl rumbles in his chest but before he could do or say anything against him, a vampire woman suddenly sprints out of the crowd and wraps her arms around Itachi's neck the moment she's in front of him. Her appearance took Itachi and Sasuke off guard.

"Oh my boy. How I've missed you!"

Hearing her voice causes a slow gasp to escape Itachi's and a feeling of warmth to spread throughout his body. He knows that voice.

"Mother?"

Uchiha Mikoto, the queen of the Vampire World and the mother of Itachi and Sasuke. She releases her hold on her eldest son and backs away. Her pearl pale skin practically glows in the candle light. Her raven black hair lays gently on her shoulders and back and her bangs gentle brush against the skin on her face. Her onyx black eyes sparkle with joy and her lips are curled into a gentle, loving smile. It became the smile that surprised him the most. Her hand rises to his face and it feels so soft and so comforting to feel it against his warm skin. But because she's still a vampire, her hand feels deathly cold. Still her smile provides the warmth it lacks including its own.

"Oh, my darling boy. You've grown so beautifully. But a little skinny. Have you not been eating enough?"

Unlike how her words bring the motherly comfort to Itachi, it did not do the same to Sasuke. It only made him more irritated.

"Mother, please retain yourself," he orders firmly. She looks up at him with a questioning glance and he adds, "As of right now, he is a criminal. He attacked our castle as a vampire hunter, he tried to kill the Kyuubi, he killed a guard, and he himself is human." Itachi's face became a blank once again as he looks at Sasuke from the corner of his eye.

"That may be true," their mother responds, "but as of right now, even though he is in chains and in trial, he is my son who has finally returned home. And he will remain so until he is proven guilty. He is also, for the moment, your brother."

This time when he growled, it became louder so that everyone in the room could hear and know how offended he is with those words. It took every bit of control he had to calmly say, "My brother…died a long time ago."

"Oh come now, Sasuke. Let's not be too heartless."

It's just one surprise after another but Itachi should really be expecting these things since he is in a vampire castle. He looks up forward, pass the candles to see a shadowy figure in a high, tall chair. He had to squint his eyes a little to get a better, clearer look but he's certain that it's a fancy looking chair fit for a king, literally. Itachi knows that sitting on that tall chair with his legs crossed, his elbow leaning on one of the armrests, and his hand cupping his cheek is none other than the king of the vampires himself. Uchiha Madara, Sasuke's and Itachi's father. Even though he can't see him very well, Itachi can tell from the sound of his voice that he sounds rather amused with what's going on in front of him.

"Like your mother said, until he is proven guilty he is your brother finally home. Have a moment of bliss before we begin." If there is one thing Itachi remembers best about his father besides his long, unruly shadowy black hair and his piercing black eyes that just look directly into the depths of your soul, it's the fact that he's too carefree. Everything to him like an entertaining show and all he wants to do is sick back and watch. He's too laid back and easy-going. Something none of his sons inherited from him.

The air around Sasuke became very tense and very serious. And yet when he was ready to blow after Itachi called him otouto and Mikoto was being irritating, he didn't look half as angry as he does now. His expression was very similar to how Itachi would look if he was that angry. His face is composed instead of ruled up with arched brows and snarling nostrils with wide mouths to reveal gritted teeth. His once onyx black eyes are now red, but his fangs have not extended. Only his eyes changed. With a look like that and the ice cold, furry in his eyes and words, he could pass as the Kyuubi or the devil himself.

"Must I remind you what he did last night and what he _has_ done in the past twenty years?"

"No need. I have a report right here from his blood."

While Sasuke flinches and got even more angry from now his father's behavior with three veins pulsing on his head, Itachi raise a brow when he heard that. _'He has a report. Oh shit.'_

He could tell that Madara is up to his mischievous ways again, especially when he asks Sasuke, "Do you wish to see it? You might find a lot of interesting things your brother has been up to."

Sure let's add more fuel to the fire when it's already ablaze! It's like Itachi's sentence has already been decided and Sasuke is the one who's gonna carry it out if he sees that report. The young vampire prince walks up to his father, pass the circle of candles and from what Itachi can hear, there really is a written report about him. One useful trick the vampires have is if they taste a drop of your blood, they can know all your secrets, your past, what you think, and how you feel. But it all depends on how sensitive a vampire is. Not all vampires can know as much as another vampire could from a drop of blood. But the skill is quite useful for interrogation. Itachi should have seen this one coming, especially Sasuke's reaction after looking at it. All it took was the sound of a dropped folder and then all hell broke loose.

"You despicable, devious, fuckin whore!" his brother screaming without a care that he's surrounded by an audience. From what Itachi can see of the shadows, his little brother already has his sword out and he's struggling from someone's tight, strong grip. It's not Madara because he's still sitting on his chair so whoever is holding Sasuke back is very strong. "We don't need a damn trial! I'm gonna motherfuckin kill him right now! He's nothing more than a damn disgrace! A MOTHERFUCKIN DISGRACE!"

Wow. His mouth is just as filthy as Hidan and this used to be the little innocent boy that smile at the smallest little thing. Another bit that surprised, and disturbed, him is the fact that their parents are here and they heard every word that came out of his little brother's mouth, long with the Vampire Council. Sasuke may be in his mid thirties in human years, but he's still a teen in vampire years. Words like that shouldn't be escaping his lips so soon.

"Stop it, teme!" Itachi assumes to be the one holding Sasuke back yells. "He didn't actually do it with anyone! He only played with them."

Sure, let's announce it now to the whole vampire council that he's a virgin when he's already past the mature age for vampires to find a mate. Some of them are already enjoying this little scene and are whispering to each other on how pleased they are to be here. This is worse than the Akatsuki's Social Room and that's saying something. If Itachi ever lives after this trial, he's either gonna commit suicide out of humiliation or he's gonna find the Kyuubi's reincarnation and kill him as quickly as he can. Either way, he can't live with himself being the laughing stock of the vampire community.

Then Mikot grasps Itachi's attention when she says, "I am proud of you, Itachi. I'm happy that even as a human, you haven't broken the rules. You kept yourself pure for the one who will be lucky to have you. Although if you're gonna slay someone, don't do it with your pants down."How can his own mother say that without a care in the world and without a hint of disgust on her face? Her face looks as happy as can be. Her eldest son plays with his victims in bed for crying out loud! Is Sasuke the only one full of neglect and disgust at this moment? No. Because Itachi is too, plus a major feeling of 'you got to be kidding me' and disbelief on his parent's behavior. Now he can tell why his parents fit so perfectly. They have no pride at all.

Then things started to get serious.

"Mikoto," Madara calls, all good nature and mischief gone from his voice. "As much as I enjoy this small reunion, we are in a trial. We cannot ignore the crimes he committed and what he almost succeeded in doing earlier today. He must be punished."

Itachi's mother lets out a sigh and she looks back at her son. She still smiles at him and her hands cup his face. Before he knew it, his mother kisses him on his forehead like how she used to. That wave of motherly warmth spreads through his body again and his eyes widen as a small gasp escapes his lips. If he were caught, which he already is, Itachi would have expected rejection. Not acceptance. After her kiss, Mikoto looks at her son in the eye and says, "No matter what, you will always be my little boy." Then she gets up and walks over to her husband and king. He could see her standing beside Madara instead of having a seat of her own.

Then the vampire king calls, "Sasuke, calm yourself. We are about to begin." Slowly the sound of trashing and struggling begin to subside and a loud huff ends it. Itachi can see the shadow of someone with short spiky hair behind Sasuke as he slowly releases the vampire prince, just in case he might try to attack the hunter once he was free. He didn't. He stood there, absolutely still and Itachi can feel his hateful glare burning through him, along with every other stare from the other vampires. "Uchiha Itachi, you are here by charged with the murder of many vampires, some we must admit are glad to be rid of but nonetheless wrong. You are also charged for the crime against peace, breaking and entering a royal family's home, an attempt assault on our god, and the murder of yet another vampire; one who was faithful to this castle and the royal family. How do you pleade?"

Itachi says nothing. All he does is stare at the shape that's supposedly is his father and keeping his mouth shut. So he's going to go through this the hard way, huh? Madara doesn't appear insulted for not being answered but Itachi's silent treatment is making Sasuke clench his fists extra tight. Naruto sees this and he gets ready to hold the raven-head back if he tries to attack Itachi again.

"Guilty?" No answer.

"Innocent?" Still no answer.

"Come now, Itachi-kun. You got to answer to one of those questions."

"I have nothing to say to you filthy vampires," he answers. While Madara, Mikoto, and the council look unaffected by Itachi's answer, Naruto is staring at the hunter with blinking eyes as Sasuke's eyes are wide and his lips are a straight line again. His fist releases and his arm stiffens at his side. "I don't care if I was one long ago. That me is dead and the me that stands before you hates every single vampire in this room."

There became a small pause of silence in the air after he said that. From the look of his onyx black eyes, there is nothing but hatred and seriousness. He meant every word that left his lips. The council and the royals' expression appear unchanging as Naruto looks up at Sasuke at the corner of his eyes. All he sees is the back view of a frozen teen vampire. Naruto's sky blue eyes hold concern and sympathy, thinking that while on the outside Sasuke is pulling a strong face while on the inside, he's extremely hurt from his older brother's words. After a look at him, Naruto looks down at the ground to try and think of a solution to what might help his friend. One idea pops into his head right when Madara breaks the silence with a sigh.

"We sort of figure that since you were prepared to kill all of us without a hint of care or remorse," he says, not sounding at all affected from his eldest son's words. "I just wanted to see if you were going to make this trial any interesting. But as always, you're so difficult and so stubborn. I guess we can go right to deciding what your sentence will be then. By the Kyuubi's will, we are forbidden to kill you but we can't allow you to just leave a free man untouched. You have to be punished somehow." Itachi still doesn't say a thing. He only stares at the vampire king with no fear, actually no feelings what so ever. Like he's prepared to whatever the punishment will be and he no matter what it is, he will not yield. Madara sees that and the smirk on his face widens. "Does anyone have any ideas?"

"Ooo! I know!" Naruto yells, jumping up and down while raising his hand. Sasuke looks at the hyper vampire in confusion as to why he suddenly sounds so happy, but before he could ask, Naruto suggests, "Let's turn him back into a vampire!" Both Sasuke's and Itachi's eyes widen when they heard this and Itachi's blood suddenly runs cold. What did he just suggest?

Madara, however, smirks wider with interest as he says, "Well that's something different. Since he's been hunting them all these years, a befitting punishment for one who hates a vampire so much is to become one himself."

"Now hold on!" Sasuke screams, getting back into reality. He faces his father and yells, "I refuse to have this man become one of us! He was once feared as one of the most powerful vampires to have ever existed and you want that part of him to come back? He'll destroy us all in an instant!"

As much as Itachi would love that idea, he would die before becoming a filthy vampire again. That and he knows what'll happen once he's turned. His thirst would be too much for him to handle and he would be willing to kill anyone to survive. Not to forget that his will would then be controlled by the one who bites him. Since he was born a vampire, he never had the problem of being controlled but if he gets turned, he will have no choice but to obey his master despite his own anger and disgust against whoever the lucky leech will be.

"Have you forgotten the ways of turning into a vampire, Sasuke?" Madara asks, amused. His younger son's eyes widen when realization hit him. He forgot about that rule completely because of his emotions. Seeing that he has nothing more to say, Madara turns looks at the surrounding vampires and asks, "Does anyone else disagree?" When he receives no answer, he asks again, "Let's see what the Kyuubi has to say about this decision then, shall we?"

Itachi notices that Sasuke instantly tensed up after he said that. He eyes him for a moment before a fiery red light appears behind his little brother, revealing every vampiric face in the room. Some familiar, some new. However, Itachi wasn't paying much attention to them. The sudden, big, red light grasps his attention first and still holds it as he could see what resembles red flames swirling around a body that's hovering in mid air and then forming into a fox's head. Itachi's muscles tense at the sight of it as the Kyuubi's blood red eyes stare down at him. He heard stories of the Kyuubi from his childhood and more terrifying ones during his stay in the Akatsuki.

Supposedly, the Kyuubi is the god of the vampires. The one who started the race and the one who appeared again to replenish it during its dying era. There is a myth that when the vampire race is in jeopardy, the Kyuubi would appear to save it. That's why they always have the Kyuubi locked up with the royal family for protection with the best security in the vampire world. From a human's point of view, the Kyuubi is a monster and the very omen of destruction. Every time the humans try to find peace with the extermination of the vampires, the Kyuubi will appear and while some find it as an easier path to completely annihilate the cursed race, others find it as another weapon used against them – a weapon that's fuckin hard to beat.

As the Kyuubi stares down at him, Itachi keeps his guard up with not a hint of fear in his eyes. In fact as of now, he has no emotion on his face like always. His face is a completely blank and his eyes are as cold as ice. The Kyuubi smirks, revealing more of his razor sharp fangs and his eyes narrow in satisfaction. "Normally, I would have this child before me killed without a second thought. However, my host tells me that he used to be a very strong vampire. I see a great destiny about him. Therefore, I approve of my host's suggestion and welcome this child into his family, where he belongs."

Itachi's expression never faltered as Sasuke makes a 'che' sound as his teeth are gritted together.

"That will be all," the Kyuubi finished. Then with that, the red flames disappear instantly.

Because of his eyes not adjusting fast enough to the darkness, Itachi still didn't see the host's face. But it appears to be unconscious because he sees the motionless body falling to the ground. He hears Sasuke gasp as the body falls and a second later, the hunter hears a body falling into someone's arms. Sasuke catches Naruto before he hit the floor. After a short moment, the raven-hair prince sees his friend slowly returning back to consciousness. Naruto looks dazed for a moment before looking up at Sasuke's own blank face. He knows behind those cold eyes, they hold concern and questions for his well being. He smiles softly to show that he's okay and Sasuke's eyes narrow, a sign to the dope that he gets it.

"Father!" he calls, his voice stern and hard. "This better be worth it."

Madara's smirk never left his face as he answers, "If the Kyuubi predicts that it will, then it will. I know you will make sure of that because I am assigning you as Itachi's biter." This time when the two brother's eyes widen again and their mouths parted, Sasuke is less shock than Itachi. He's just taken back.

Then he yells, "You are completely out of your mind! I can't babysit two things at once!" Hearing that, Naruto huffs like an insulted child.

"I'm not a baby, teme. Now put me down!" he orders.

Sasuke scowls at him for a moment before obliging. "You sure act like one," he mumbles. Naruto heard him but before he could say something, Madara interrupts.

"Oh I'm sure that you can find the time, Sasuke-kun."

Mikoto adds, being silent since the beginning of the trial, "And besides, sweetheart, you and your brother have a lot of catching up to do. I know that the two of your won't like it now but in time, it won't be so bad. I'm your mother, I should know." Not for an instant do the Uchiha brothers believe her. It's already permanently decided in their minds that they will be at each other's throats from now on till one of them gives and since both of them are as stubborn as hell, it's gonna be a while before they can stand being in the same room with each other.

Or maybe, not long at all.

"Whatever! At least I know that I'm gonna enjoy this part."

Before he could blink, Itachi feels Sasuke roughly grabbing his hair on the top of his head from behind to tilt it sideways as the other hand is pressed against his shoulder to keep it in place. Sasuke opens his mouth to reveal his already extended fangs and his eyes glowing red with hunger. Itachi could only watch from the corner of his eyes as he sees how unhesitant his little brother is to chomp down on his neck. His fangs pierce Itachi's neck and his muscles tensed from the pain. The older Uchiha refuses to cry out. He merely grits his teeth together to bear with the pain as his eyes close shut. Sasuke's hand moves. From being on top of his head, it slides down the side of his face, his neck, his chest, and then to his side to hold him close while his other hand is still keeping his shoulder in place, digging his nails into Itachi's fragile looking skin. The vampires all around them got provoked with the scent of fresh spilled blood in the air. Their eyes glowing and their fangs extended with thirst. They held themselves back, however, and they watch as Sasuke continues to suck on Itachi's blood, leaving his mark on his neck and spreading the vampiric venom from inside his fangs into Itachi's blood stream. The pain starts to become unbearable and in moments' time, Itachi begins to gasp and pant as Sasuke's nails dig deeper into his skin. Sasuke's words were true. He is enjoying this; causing him great pain before Itachi becomes one of them once again.

But then after the pain, Itachi suddenly feels a new fond of pleasure taking over. It came in slowing with the pain, blending in until it completely replacing it. By the time that he realizes that the pleasure vibes pulse through his very being with the venom, he starts panting as beads of sweat begin to appear on his face. He wasn't the only one who felt it. Sasuke's once aggressive bite becomes a little softer and a little yearnful. His nails release the fragile skin and his hand that grasped his brother's side, slides it way to Itachi's neck, closer to his face, and gently holds up his older brother's chin with just the tips of his fingers. If Itachi wasn't so caught up in the pleasure he's feeling now, he would have heard Sasuke let out a low moan that no one else but him could hear. The other vampires see the yearning and pleasure on their faces, but the two brothers don't seem to care at all if it didn't appear at all or if their faces are practically screaming it out. The only thing they do care is what they're feeling right now. The world and the vampires around them just didn't exist.

Finally, Sasuke releases his fangs from his brother's skin and pulls away. Itachi feels a rush of disappointment when the fangs left him but he soon feels a surprisingly warm tongue licking away the excess blood that escaped during the bite. The feel of Sasuke's tongue against his skin sends his heart, probably for the last time, beating and pounding like a taiko drum, spreading the venom through his body faster. He couldn't understand if it was because of the venom or the tongue causing this reaction. Sasuke appears to be enjoying this as well. The way his tongue slowly licks the blood away and lingers on Itachi's softer, warm skin a little bit longer to savor its taste. It soon became too much for Itachi. As soon as Sasuke pulls away completely and gazes upon his brother's sweating, exhausted face, Itachi closes his eyes and falls on the ground, unconscious.

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Yeeaa! I got ended the chapter with an ItaSasu moment. Wahoo! Anyway, how was this chapter? Was it too boring? Did it not make sense? Was it any good? Please tell me how it was good and/or what I did wrong. I'm always anxious to hear. See ya all later!


	9. Memory 1: Maturing

**A/N: Oh…my…GOSH! I am ready to commit suicide here! My class is killing me and it's taking me forever to write! Jeeze! Oh well, here's a new chapter for all of you. I am so happy that this story is suddenly so popular. I really am. Thank you.**

**Also, I've decided that since Itachi is with Sasuke and they are going to be spending some time together, I figure I have some memory moments too. Depending on how long I make the memory, they will either be their own chapter like this one or they will just be part of a chapter. Now the memories bit will only come up when something similar to what happened in the memory will happen with Itachi and Sasuke. Sort of like small reminders of Itachi's once happy life with his otouto. I hope you all like this one.**

**I do NOT OWN any of the Naruto characters or the storyline. If I did, the Uchihas would rule the world along side with the Akatsuki. Or at least Itachi and Sasuke. Thank you for those who have reviewed and I am so happy to receive so many of them. I hope you all like this memory and tell me how it went.**

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Ch. 9: Memory 1: Maturing

"_Nii-san!"_

_Hearing the small, angelic voice, Itachi looks over his shoulder and sees his little fourteen year old, seven year old looking brother running towards him with a small flower necklace in his hand. Or it could be a flower crown. It's too small to be a necklace. But as the little boy is running to a thirteen year old looking, really twenty six, Itachi, Sasuke trips on a rock and falls head first to the ground. Or he would have if a pair of arms didn't catch him first. The little boy looks up and he sees his brother as his savior once again. Looking at his adorable face, Itachi couldn't help but smile at him._

"_You really should watch your step, otouto," he says. "I wouldn't want you to get hurt and you know how mother is if there is even a scratch on your face."_

_Sasuke makes a pout and he stands up to get out of his brother's hold so that he could yell, "I can handle myself just fine, nii-san!" He even crosses his arms in front of his chest and glares at his older brother for treating him like a kid. He is still a kid. Itachi still smiles at him before poking Sasuke's forehead with his index and middle finger. It became an off switch to Sasuke's upset behavior._

"_Foolish little brother." Then the older brother lets out a soft giggle and it causes Sasuke's cheeks to take a small shade of red at the beautiful ring of his brother's laugh. When Itachi was done, he looks at Sasuke's hand and asks, "What do you have there, otouto?" Sasuke looks at his hand where the flower crown is. He forgot he had it when he fell._

"_Oh, nii-san!" He presents the flower crown to his brother and says, "This is for you. I was able to sneak some Luna flowers and tie them together." The love and joy on his face is absolutely adorable and so beautiful. Itachi didn't expect the flower crown to be given to him. He only expected Sasuke to say that he stole flowers from the garden and made a crown with them after Itachi showed him how._

_He had to ask. "For me?"_

"_Yes, for you." The little boy pouts again. "Did you not just hear me?"_

_The smile that came back on Itachi's face became genuine and so gentle with love. It was a smile that Itachi had a hard time showing others. He only shared them with certain people. It became the smile that surprises Sasuke the most._

"_Thank you, Sasuke," Itachi says. "Do you want to put it on?" It took a moment for him to answer because the smile caught the little boy off guard but Sasuke nods and places the flower crown on his older brother's head. Itachi adjusts it a little before saying, "It's beautiful, Sasuke. You did a very good job weaving it."_

_Hearing his compliment causes the little boy to blush, look to the side, and dig his foot in the ground. "It's not that great," he mumbles. Then his voice got softer when he says, "You're the best at it."_

"_Being the best isn't always great, otouto," Itachi tells him, the smile still on his face from how cute his brother looks right now. Sasuke looks at him in confusion when he said that and Itachi explains, "According to everyone around me, they say I'm the best at everything. But I'm not. I'm just me and that me isn't perfect."_

"_I think you are." The blush on Sasuke's face grows deeper before saying again, "You are perfect, nii-san. You're great at everything. Unlike me."_

_Hearing the last thing he said, Itachi took it the wrong way. His smile dissolves into a small frown with a curious expression as he asks, "Do you hate me for it, Sasuke?"_

"_What?" Sasuke asks, taking his older brother's question in surprise. "No!" he yells, immediately. "I can never hate you, nii-san! I love you." Then he covers his mouth in shock and looks down at the ground, blushing a very deep red, a darker shade than blood. Itachi blinks in surprise of his brother's words. He continues to only stare at the boy a little while longer, seeing how totally embarrassed he is and how he dares a look up to see the older vampire's expression. His scared expression, in a twisted way, is one of Itachi's favorite expressions Sasuke has. It only shows how innocent this little vampire is._

_Itachi's hand moves its way to Sasuke's head again and this time he starts petting the soft raven strands on his head. He smiles at the boy again and says, "I love you too, otouto. But I'm not perfect at everything." His hand moves to Sasuke's face and his fingers brush away the hair covering his little brother's face from his. "There is one thing you're better than me at."_

_Dazzle by his smile and his words, Sasuke loses that fear and his brain became a temporary blank. "Uh? What?"_

"_You're the best at being my little brother. I would accept no one else but you." Itachi's hand moves away so that he could tap the tip of Sasuke's nose. The little boy crinkles his nose at the gesture and he tries to look annoyed._

"_Well of course. I'm your only little brother."_

"_All the more reason for me to love you more than everyone else. There is no one in this world who I can ever love more than you, otouto. But what about you? Is there someone you love more than your nii-san. Because if there is…" He quickly grabs the little boy and traps him in his arms before tickling him in every sensitive ticklish spot Itachi knows Sasuke has. "I will torture you senselessly." Sasuke bursts out laughing from his older brother's merciless fingers. He tries to pull away but Itachi's got him trapped in his arms. He's trapped and his adorable laughter fills the night air, mixed with Itachi's own soft laughter._

_Then the older vampire prince notices something._

"_Sasuke," he calls, stopping his tickling. The little boy stops laughing when his brother stopped and called his name. He looks up and Itachi asks, "Open your mouth."_

_Confused by his command and how serious his voice sounds compared to how it was seconds ago, Sasuke obeys. He opens his mouth and Itachi grasps his chin and opens his mouth wider to see extended fangs in the little boy's mouth. They weren't there before._

"_You're maturing. You're early."_

_When he releases his little brother's mouth, Sasuke pouts again and points out, "You were earlier. Father and mother said that you gained your fangs when you were six years younger than I was."_

"_That's not the point. Have you tasted…blood yet?" His words distracted Sasuke from the tone of his voice and how upset and serious he sounds saying them. Seeing his confused face, Itachi explains, "Now that you have your fangs, you can no longer consume solid foods."_

"_I know that," Sasuke answers him, "and no. I haven't tried it yet. But nii-san…" The little boy's face looks back down at the ground, averting his gaze from his brother's and his voice is small and fragile. It took Itachi off guard and the seriousness lightens up in his voice._

"_Yes?"_

"_I'm scared to try it."_

_This really surprised him. Itachi has experienced many young vampires who became more than excited when experiencing their first bite. Most run off to try it the moment they see that their fangs have at least grown an inch. Never has vampire heir ever met someone who's afraid to experience their first bite. "You are?"_

_Still looking down, not wanting to show the distress in his onyx black eyes, Sasuke nods his little head in small movements. "A lot of people told me that when they got their fangs, they were all talking about how they enjoyed their first bite on a human. How they liked it when they were screaming, how they were struggling, and how they kept pleading for them to stop. How can anyone be that heartless? I don't want to consume blood if I have to do that."_

_His words and the quickness of how they escaped his little mouth became enough evidence for Itachi to hear how scared and upset he is by this. It really shouldn't be that much of a surprise. Since the day he was born, Sasuke has anyways been the innocent once. The white little cat born in a dark, dark world. It's one of the main reasons why Itachi feels so drawn to him, why he feels so comfortable with him. Now that this little white kitten has to go through one of the darkest traditions of the vampire world, being terrified is a natural reaction._

"_Sasuke, do you want me to tell you a secret?" Sasuke shyly looks up at his older brother, only to then feel Itachi's breath heating his ear. Itachi whispers to him, "I don't like it either."_

_This time the youngest prince gasps as Itachi pulls away and looks at him directly in the eye. Sasuke didn't hide away this time as he asks, "You don't? Then how was your first bite?"_

_The way he suddenly has this feeling of curiosity of his brother's first bite became quite amusing and at the same time…very sad._

"_Did you think I was one of those cold-hearted vampires who didn't listen to the plea of their victims?"_

_Realizing how his brother took his words, Sasuke had to quickly tell his nii-san, "Ah, no. But it was your first bite so I…" Now he looks ashamed for allowing his words to sound how little he thinks of his older brother. Instead of looking depress, Itachi chuckles at the boy's expression. He's so cute no matter what expression he puts on his face._

"_It's okay if you did. I think of myself as a heartless being myself." But even though he's smiling and the depression is not shown on his facial features, Sasuke can clearly see the sadness in onyx eyes similar to his own._

"_But nii-san…" He tries to approach him a comforting gesture but Itachi raises his hand and stops him from continuing. He just wants the little prince to listen._

"_You know Hatake Kakashi, correct? He was my first bite." He pauses to let the words sink in and Sasuke widens his eyes as his thoughts for the spiky hair, half-a-face man. That guy looks older than Itachi by at least a few years. But he says nothing as his older brother continues the story. "Father told me he was a willing sacrifice. He had no home, no family; he was a perfect sacrifice. There is nothing like your first bite. It becomes the first and longest moment of your life where you feel like an uncontrollable monster and you like it. You feed on that blood greedily. You don't remember who you are or what you have under your mouth. All you know is that the blood rolling down your throat is your life. Your life that you're taking to survive. It was when he was crying and mumbling that he didn't want to die that I stopped. I realized that the life I claimed to have been mine wasn't really mine. I was stealing it from someone else. It took all that I had to stop myself and all I could do was stand there as Kakashi's body was at my feet. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done and all I could do afterwards was stand there in horror of what I've done."_

"_But you didn't kill him, nii-san. He's alive now."_

"_Yes, I know. Because I didn't kill him, I ended up turning him into a vampire. Then I became his master and taught him everything he needed to know about being a vampire. Then I released him and he became someone who makes his own choices and decides how he wants to live his own existence. Although around that time, I too had yet to learn what it means to be a vampire. To this very day, I still don't understand it and I don't think I want to."_

_On his older brother's face, little Sasuke can see so many negative emotions. Some he couldn't identify but he knows that he should be concern about them. For now, he can see that his brother has dire thoughts and distraught feelings about being a vampire. He also sees shame, contempt, and above all, complete and utter disgust._

"_N-Nii-san," he calls, his voice a little shaky. He wants to ask for the reason behind these feelings he can see on Itachi's face but when his brother looks at him in curiosity to what he has to say, he couldn't ask. Instead, he asks, "What does…blood taste like? Why is it so irresistible for us?"_

"_Because it's our nature. We are beings who consume blood, rather we want to or not. We need it to survive." Sasuke wanted to slap his forehead and then slam it into a wall. He tried to avoid the question of why Itachi looks so bitter to the idea of how vampires live and he ends up asking a question that was right on the money. For now, all he can do is listen to what his brother has to say with wonder and the wiliness to take everything that's being said. "What I can tell you is that it tastes like iron. But it's the most delectable thing you have ever tasted. It tastes even better than the tomatoes you love so much and the taste of it will be so delicious that it would make everything you have tasted seem bland and tasteless. Then you can't get enough of it. You will want it, crave it more than anything. Many who have experienced their first bite become willing to devour blood three times a day as if it were a daily three-course meal. Those are the bloodthirsty kind of our race and they are the most wicked ones of us all."_

_Again, Sasuke can see the bitter and loathing on his brother's face and as of right now. It scares him._

"_Do all bloods taste the same?" Maybe saying something childish or naïve will help lighten the discussion. It worked, a bit. Hearing that question, Itachi's lips curl up into a small and gentle smile before answering again._

"_Some, yes. Humans have different types. Such as type A, type B, type AB, and type O. However, every blood has their own personal flavor. Don't tell Kakashi, but his blood tasted like prunes." This causes both of them to giggle; Sasuke a little louder and more carefree than Itachi's. "Would you like to taste mine?"_

"_Uh?" This came out of nowhere and it confuses the little maturing vampire greatly. "Taste your blood?" he asks, making sure he heard his brother correctly. Why would Itachi even suggest such a thing?_

_Itachi can see the puzzlement on the boy's face and all he did was smile and explain. "Normally, human blood is consumed for first time biters but you told me that you're scared to bite a human and you're afraid of not being able to control yourself. If you bite me, I'll tell you when it's enough and stop you. This way, you don't have to worry about killing me. I won't die and leave you alone."_

"_You promise?" Sasuke asks, his voice now small with uncertainly but wiliness to do it if Itachi says it's really okay._

_The older boy nods. "I promise."_

_Even though he now has permission, Sasuke still looks unsure and hesitant. "I don't want to hurt you." He needs a little push. That's all. Itachi grasps the little boy's wrist and pulls him into his arms again. Sasuke instantly blushes when he's leaning against his brother's chest, the warm, strong arms wrapped around him, and his nose touching the hollow skin of Itachi's throat. But while this was making the little boy feel warm, he can smell Itachi's scent emitting from his skin. To the boy, it's very intoxicating. His mouth became filled with drool right there and he can feel the length of his fangs extending a little more the longer he's there in that position._

"_Go on now, otouto," Itachi presses on, holding the boy tighter. He can tell that the boy is already starting to give into his desires for blood but he's hesitating._

"_But I don't…"_

"_Just fallow your instincts. The rest will come naturally."_

_Sasuke pulls his head back just a little bit to look at his brother's bare neck. He couldn't believe he was going to do this. He leans back to the skin and his tongue sticking out. Like a little cat, he licks a small area on Itachi's neck and man, did his skin taste good. If his skin alone is this good, one could wonder what the blood would be. Sasuke's onyx eyes became clouded with the bloodlust and they started to fade to red. Then he opens his mouth and his extended fangs are longer than they were before. He first brushes his fangs against his older brother's skin, still nervous about biting. His small motion causes no sound from Itachi but it does cause the older male to close his eyes in the tiny amount of bliss. Then came the fangs. They were hesitant but nonetheless, they pierce through Itachi's flesh and his blood bursts into Sasuke's mouth. The older one winced from this new sensation and tensed as Sasuke keeps a tight grip on him to keep him from leaving. Then after the pain, came the pleasure. All of Itachi's experiences of biting are of the victims screaming in pain till they could no longer breathe. He thought it was the most painful thing to go through but this bite. This bite he's having from his little brother is completely unexpected. When the pleasure came, he relaxed and lets out a deep and long exhale. He holds the little boy closer as the pleasure continues. His little brother takes a deep suck on his blood before waiting a few seconds for the blood to come to the surface before taking another suck. Then Itachi begins to gasp and pant in this unbelievable feeling. Then the soft, low moans came. He didn't want it to stop. That's why he frowned and let a moan of disapproval and disappointment when Sasuke stopped. He pulled his fangs away and kicked the remains of blood off of Itachi's skin, a small way of saying 'I'm sorry'._

_The little vampire pulls away, licking his lips of blood and looking like the innocent, little boy he's always been."Are you alright, nii-san?"_

_It took him a while to answer but eventually, he answered. He just needed a moment to catch his breath. "Yes, I'm fine. How do you feel?"_

_Sasuke became shy again. He looks down at the ground and his finger found his lips. "Content," he answers._

"_As expected." Sasuke looks up at his older brother and the older male gives him a reassuring smile. The has nothing to be ashamed of. "Tell me, what do I taste like?"_

"_You taste better than tomatoes." He answers that with his adorable, innocent voice and it causes Itachi to start laughing. Sasuke continues to watch him as Itachi continues to laugh a moment longer before speaking._

"_Well I'm glad to hear that," he states. "I didn't think there was ever anything you liked better than tomatoes."_

_As beautiful and genuine his smile is and how it bedazzles the young boy, Sasuke didn't relax like how he used to. "Nii-san," he calls._

"_Yes?" Itachi answers._

"_Why didn't you stop me?" That took Itachi off guard. Sasuke looks at his older brother hard with an accusing stare as he scolds, "You said you would but you didn't."_

_He's worried, that's all. And it is Itachi's fault for getting caught up in that bliss but he couldn't help it. But the older vampire prince has to give his little brother some credit. He has by far greater control than any first bite vampires Itachi has seen. Even he didn't have a good control over his bloodlust. "I didn't think you were done. I was still okay before you stopped."_

"_Liar. You were panting."_

_Itachi smiles at how childish his brother is acting, but still all the more cute. "One day you'll understand. I've never been bitten before so it was an experience. If you're still uneasy about drinking the blood of a human, you can always drink mine. Although, I don't know if vampire blood is more appealing than human blood." He starts laughing again to reassure the little boy but all he does is bring about curiosity for Sasuke._

_By the time that Itachi stopped when he didn't hear Sasuke join him, he was surprised to see Sasuke prick his finger with his fang and then presenting his now bleeding finger to him. His finger became so close to Itachi's lips. In fact, Sasuke didn't stop there. He uses his blood like paint as he starts coloring Itachi's lips with his red blood. Itachi felt a slight shiver when some bit of blood dripped into his mouth and on his tongue._

"_Ne, nii-san. How does my blood taste?"_

_His onyx eyes are big with curiosity and he tilts his head to the side but Itachi didn't hear him. Or he did but his words went out the other ear. His thoughts are all on the drop of blood he was able to taste and the rest of it on his lips. He licks his lips clean of the blood and he lets out a long exhale. A small dose of Sasuke's blood made him shiver and a little more made him feel free as though, he had chains and Sasuke's blood was the key. It set him free and bolts of electricity went running up and down his spine. It was heaven. He had to have more. He grasp the hand before him and uses his tongue to lick away the extra blood that rolled down Sasuke's hand the blood that continues to leak out of his wound. Sasuke's cheeks became red when he sees how beautiful his older brother looks consuming his blood. When the blood was gone, Itachi opened his eyes to reveal that they're already crimson red and his fangs are extended and sharp._

"_Better than how I remember dango."_

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Ne, so how was that? Tell me how it went okay?


	10. A Brother's Bite

**A/N: Yo guys! How ya all doing? Wow. This one is just as long as my last chapter. Oh boy.**

**I do NOT OWN any of the Naruto characters or the story. Otherwise, Sakura gets punished for what she tried to do and it'll be ItaSasu for the rest of the series, once Itachi comes back to life of course…withOUT Kabuto! Thank you so very much for the reviews and please keep them coming. I love every single one of them! Enjoy!**

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Ch. 10: A Brother's Bite

The first things Itachi felt when he woke up, it wasn't to the hard stone ground, or the below zero temperature of the room, or the heavy metals on his wrists and neck. He wakes up to something softer and warm, kind off. He's resting in a slanted position with his back leaning against something hard and beneath him is the feel of soft cushions. The hard thing behind him is two things. Maybe a wall and something is in between him and the wall because something hard and flat is pressing against his back and shoulders while his head leans against the stone wall. The hard thing also feels like lumpy poles and they're pressing against his back in the most uncomfortable places. Besides the pain of his back and his head, he feels something around his wrists. Just because he doesn't feel the chains doesn't mean that there is no longer something binding him. The difference between the chains and this is that his wrists are not bound together. They're bond on both sides of him separately and the binds feel like rope.

But besides the uncomfortable feelings of his back, there's something else. Something far more painful than his sore muscles and the blood draining from his hands. Something in his throat.

Before he could grasp the full extent of that awareness, he opens his eyes.

It became hazy at first, but his vision eventually came back to him. It just took time as his eyes fluttered open. Then they shut tight when he his eyes captured something bright. It wasn't just one area of the room. It was the whole room that's bright. The room that he's in is engulfed in this bright white light. Funny how the light is so white when the room is so dark. As his eyes begin to adjust to the brightness, Itachi can see the features of the room first becoming hazy and then clearer the longer he observed it.

Across from him is a dark maroon wall. The bed he's on is right next to a small counter that's at the corner of the room and from what he can see before him is a wall. But between the bed and the wall across from him, the wall next to him has a big glass window. Actually, a big part of that wall is mostly a window with thick, black and red curtains that clump up at the sides for now, revealing a glass door that leads to a balcony that has a marvelous view of the forest. Not too far from his vision of the wall across from him, Itachi sees a desk. From the looks of it, made from dark oak wood and it looks strangely familiar. His eyes continue to wonder and the newly turned vampire sees two doors and a wide, tall book shelf. One door is on the same wall as where the desk is leaning up against and Itachi just knows that it leads to a bathroom; including sink, tub, and other qualities of a bathroom. Don't ask Itachi how he knows. He just does. That and his brain is too foggy to really know how. On a different wall near the bathroom with a few yards separation is the bookshelf. Looking at the books, Itachi knows that they are not organized alphabetically. They're organized by the color of the cover and the genre of the book. Again, don't ask till later. On that same wall but at the opposite corner of the bathroom is the other door. That door is the entrance and the exit of the room. There's not a doubt in Itachi's room that it's probably locked to keep him in. Between the bookshelf and the door of this room is a closet. It's not too big but it's not small either. A nice, rectangle looking closet with fancy handles and made with the same type of wood as the desk – dark wood. Now looking at what the room contains on his side, he sees a fireplace on the same wall the bed is up against. It's not burning but it still feels so warm in here. The last thing in this room is the bed Itachi's sitting on. The bed design resembles that of a Rosewood Gothic Victorian bed with white cotton sheets, black fluffy yet firm pillows, and a blood red silk comforter. The color theme of this bed is obviously dark red and black, but there's something about this room that's bugging him. As his mind begins to finally clear up, he realizes why and his eyes slightly widen in surprise and astonishment.

'_This used to be my room when I was living here,'_ he confirms, taking another look at this familiar room. _'It hardly changed.'_

After looking around again, Itachi's eyes relax and his mouth closes in thought. He knows that he should completely hate himself right now. He knows he's a vampire at this moment and he knows that the royal family is trying to make him feel welcomed and one of them by giving him back his old room, but he just can't bring himself to feel welcomed, nor can he completely hate them. Besides his own personal hatred, he really has no reason to fully despise them so why bother hating everything now after he woke up. Takes too much energy. Maybe later, he'll start cursing about them but not now. His eyes wonder to the window to stare at the night sky but seeing what time it really is, his eyes widen to the size of entrée place and the disbelief and shock is clear on his face. Now he knows why his eyes hurt so much when he opened them and why the room is so bright and warm.

It's because it's not night time outside with its full moon and muggy temperature.

It's day time and the sunlight is pouring into the room.

When Itachi sees this sunlight the shock became so great, he suddenly really sits up on his bed and his mouth is gapping open. _'Sunlight? But vampires burn in the sunlight and yet I feel perfectly fine. How can this be?'_ he thinks, looking at the light filling in the room and then at his own body.

"So the dead has arisen."

Hearing his voice appear out of nowhere, Itachi sharply looks to his other side and he sees Sasuke kneeling before the edge of the bed and leaning on top of it with his elbows propped up and his cheek leaning against his hand while his eyes appear observing and still slightly upset. Itachi recovers from the shock of his brother and his own eyes narrow at the sight of him. Since when did he get there?

But there's something else too. The way the sunlight makes the young vampire look even more radiant causes a strange feeling to boil up inside of Itachi. A feeling he couldn't recognize right away. Sasuke's also wearing the same outfit he wore when he fought him outside the castle and in the trial. A white zippered, short sleeve shirt with a tall turtle, stiff neck collar. The shirt is only three-fourths zippered so some bits of his skin and chest are revealed, but not enough to make Itachi go crazy. He has fingerless arm warmers from his elbow to his hands. He has purple pants on with purple rope wrap around his waist, his white shirt tucked in. Maybe one difference between how Itachi saw him before and now is that he doesn't have his sword behind his back.

"Although, I really wasn't expecting you to wake up for three days like every other newly turned vampire but I guess since you were a vampire once, it only took you three hours. Are you surprised to see the sun, Itachi? Apparently, you didn't hear about our new updates. A lot of things happened in only twenty years."

Small talk, uh? Like Itachi's going to fall for that.

"Sasuke, what is the meaning of this?" he asks while shaking his wrists back in forth, indicating the ropes tying him to the bed. While examining the room, he didn't miss the fact that he's tied to the bed. He just didn't think about it till now.

"Oh that? Well…" Sasuke straightens up and then looks at Itachi right in the eyes with his deep, shadow black eyes. For some reason, Itachi feels drawn to those eyes. Like they're gonna suck him in and swallow him whole and he would be willing to allow that. But he holds himself back, trying not to show that he's affected by his brother's gaze. Soon, Sasuke gets on top of the bed and crawls towards the older Uchiha brother. Now he's really cautious of his little brother's intentions, almost considering the idea of leaning closer to the bed and away from his younger brother, now vampire master. But that would show intimidation and edginess. The last thing he wants is for Sasuke to know what's running through his head right now. It didn't take long for the younger of the two to be leaning over the older one, his face close to Itachi's and his legs on both side of him.

"Now as your master, I not only control you, I can feed off of you. I was thinking that the first thing I wanted you to do is feed me. Don't tell but I actually liked the taste of your blood, _aniki_." Itachi scowls at the vampiric monster before him. Although, he has no right to think of his brother like that anymore. He's a vampiric monster too. The only reason why he's angry is because of how calmly Sasuke is saying this like it's a matter of fact. "Oh, don't look like that. According to mother, we are going to have so much fun together. You cannot disobey me, Itachi. You are mine to control, mine to command, and mine to own. However…" Then he starts poking at Itachi's shoulder. The older of the two now looks confused as Sasuke continues to poke Itachi's flesh. "You are way too skinny. Your blood was delicious, yes but it was a pain in the ass to suck it out of your veins. For supposedly the responsible one of us both, you sure took little care of yourself." Then the young prince stops and backs away. Now that's confusing.

Itachi continues to stare at his little brother with curiosity and a raise brow, until he sees Sasuke going to the zipper of the shirt and pulling it down just a little further. Then the raven hair hooks one side of his collar and pulls it down to reveal his porcelain marble skin of his neck and shoulder. That became the moment when Itachi felt a strange, powerful pulse rush through his body. It became that moment where he notices the feeling in his throat. It burns. It burns so badly and he knows exactly why. Sasuke looks back at his brother and he sees the pain that Itachi is fighting inside him. Probably should have seen this coming. The guy's gonna go down fighting no matter how futile it is. "Listen, _brother_. We can either do this the easy way, or the hard way. You can just bite me right now or I can order you to do it. Either way, you are going to drink my blood because you're too damn weak for me to feed off of." Itachi doesn't say anything. At first, the pain was only visible in his eyes but as his hunger continues to grow, he had to grit his teeth together as hard as he could to keep his fangs from painfully growing and his eyes are having a color fight rather to stay black or turn red with bloodlust. But all the while, his sight has never altered from Sasuke's bare neck.

Not a single emotion appears on Sasuke's face as he can see his brother in pain. His face is a total blank. In the end, he decided to help. He leans closer to Itachi till he could feel the starving vampire's painful pants on his neck. Itachi gasps sharply when his little brother's neck is presented right before him. That was a mistake. When he gasped, he took a whiff of Sasuke's scent and it drove him over the edge.

"Just hurry it up. I have better things to do than sit on this bed all day."

But Itachi didn't hear him. His desire and his hunger drown out Sasuke's words and he went on by instinct. He leans closer to the boy's neck and his now long fangs gently brush against Sasuke's ivory skin as he opens his mouth. Sasuke had to hold back a shiver when he felt those fangs and that breath just barely brush against the skin. Then comes the bite. The pain of Itachi fangs tearing his skin is sharp and it aches. Sasuke had to bite his lip when he felt what those fangs are doing to him. His blood bursts into Itachi's mouth like fireworks and he sucks on it greedily. Sasuke begins to pant from the pain and his muscles tightened. He tries his best to not moan or make any sound to indicate anything. He will not give in. Not to his older brother.

But that thought became futile.

Itachi lost all control. All he wanted was to replenish the burning in his throat and his hunger. The only thing he was upset about was that his hands are tied to the bed. As he continues to suck on Sasuke's blood, the younger vampire prince begins to feel the same undeniable pleasure Itachi felt when he bit him. To hell with pride and trying to act like he doesn't care. No excuse could make Sasuke not completely relax and start letting out small moans and pants of his own from this pleasure. Sasuke uses one hand to cup the back of Itachi's head and pulls him closer. Don't ask him why he did that. It just came naturally. From the lost of blood, Sasuke's eyes turn crimson red and his fangs grow again. But there is something else. He wants to give in, completely. The only real reason why he tied Itachi up was because he didn't want him to cling to him and possibly kill him as he feeds because Sasuke knows he wouldn't be able to get out of the iron grip as he gets weaker and Itachi grows stronger. But right now, he wants those ropes to let his brother go and hold him close to his body as he continues to suck on his blood. In fact, his other hand becomes very tempted. It rises up to the ropes but he doesn't touch the knot. The rope looks like long, boney fingers grasping his brother's slim wrist and Sasuke's fingertips brush against those fingers. They didn't move any closer. Then to help the famish man, Sasuke leans closer to him, inhaling his scent as well and then gazing at Itachi's own bare skin. How that skin looked so delectable and so mouthwatering. The scent emitting off his skin is making Sasuke drunk and he was going to drool. Sasuke could literally see Itachi's blue veins under his skin and the blood flowing through them. He was starting to lose control. He leans closer and his tongue runs over Itachi's skin. Rather Itachi's next moan was from the pleasure of Sasuke's blood or his tongue playing with his skin, no one could tell. Then Sasuke opens his mouth to reveal his fangs out in the open. He leans closer and closer to his older brother's skin and then…

He stops.

Realizing what he was going to do, Sasuke pulls away from Itachi's neck takes a moment to calm himself and collect what remains of his sane mind. He must be out of his mind to bite Itachi while Itachi's fangs are still in him. He just needs to calm down. Breathe…breathe…breathe…But how can he breathe when someone is giving him implacable and incessant pleasure?

"Itachi, get off, NOW!" Sasuke orders, his voice sounding horsy with trying to keep under control and trying to sound as stern as possible.

As ordered, Itachi reluctantly pulls away as if Sasuke's blood suddenly became poison and leans back to the wall. Sasuke pulls back as well to put some distance between them and his hand instantly goes to his two puncture wounds and he covers it up. The wound will heal in a matter of seconds but not before allowing some blood to seep out and drench his fingers with it. Both of them pant. Itachi has a trail of blood running down his chin from the corner of his lips and Sasuke's hand has a few trails of blood himself now. Both of their eyes are red and their fangs are still long. However while Sasuke shows exhaustion, Itachi's crimson red eyes are fogged with bloodlust. He's still hungry and he's eyeing the blood on Sasuke's hand and neck. Once the raven hair vampire was able to catch his breath, he follows his brother's eyes to the blood. He let out a sigh.

"Clean it," he orders, presenting his hand to the older looking vampire. Itachi looks at the blood and then up to his 'master', aka his little brother. "You may clean the blood off but don't bite." Itachi became happy to obey. He leans closer to the hand and licks the blood off the slender fingers. Sasuke's breathe hitch when he felt that tongue on his skin but he tries not to show it. Not that it mattered anyway.

When that blood connected with Itachi's tongue, the world no longer existed. The only things that did were him and the blood. He moaned from the pleasure and contentment he gained by devouring this blood. He licked it clean and Sasuke was grateful it was over. He asks, "How do you feel, Itachi?"

He didn't answer. Itachi's mouth and throat were occupied with trying to breathe and pant from their earlier excitement. His eyes are still hazy with bloodlust but at least it's not as bad as it was before. His eyes are now only misty red while his fangs have returned to normal size, or at least human size. Because he didn't say anything, Sasuke slight glares at him but lets it slide by saying, "Now that you've had your meal, I am going to release you from your bonds and you are to follow me to our next destination." The boy reaches for the ropes clenching to Itachi's wrists and he loosens the knot. But as soon as the ropes slide off his wrist, Itachi grasps his brother's sleeve and pulls him to his chest. Sasuke only had a second to realize what just happened but by the time the news settle in, he's already leaning against Itachi's chest and his bloody throat is bare for Itachi to look at with yearn and hunger. Sasuke tries to pull away as he tries to say, "Itachi, what are you-" But he couldn't finish. A tongue stopped him. He feels Itachi's tongue licking off the blood on his neck as his arms are wrapped around him nice and tight. This is why Sasuke tied him up. Since Itachi did claim to hate all vampires, his little brother included, Itachi could very well suck Sasuke dry and kill him the second he saw him or released him. But thankfully for his order on no biting but clean the blood off, Itachi can only devour the blood on Sasuke's skin, not under it. That's the good thing. The bad thing is the tingling sensation the younger vampire prince felt earlier on his hand is now on his neck.

'_Damn it!'_ he curses in his mind, unable to speak due to the immense amount of pleasure. _'Just order him off! Open your god damn mouth and say get off! But…Augh! Fuck!'_

Soon, the older of the two licks off the last trace of blood, including the blood on his own face, and slightly backs away. His eyes begin to fade back to its original color and he mumbles, "I feel…content." Hearing him speak and his answer to his question, Sasuke tenses up when realization hit him like a falling piano. Quickly, he pushes his brother off of him.

"Get off!"

Itachi's back hits the wall but it doesn't hurt. He looks up to see a furious, glaring, snarling Sasuke with red decorating his cheeks. He's flaming red with embarrassment and he feels as though he's been used. Itachi says nothing. He only stares at his brother/master, awaiting orders or some kind of lecture the young vampire is probably trying to formulate in his head right now.

But he doesn't.

Sasuke collects himself before getting off the bed and walking towards the bathroom connected to the room. Itachi keeps his eyes on him as if waiting for him to try and attack. "Hurry up and straighten yourself up," Sasuke orders, entering the bathroom. Before the door is a sink and a mirror on the wall right over it. He doesn't close the door as he walks over to the mirror to inspect his neck. "I want you to change out of those clothes and change into some clean ones in the closet. You reek like a filthy hunter and vampire ash from burning one this morning." His neck has been licked clean.

'_It's not much of a surprise that it is his first bite now that he's a vampire again so of course he's going to be blood thirsty,'_ Sasuke mentally notes. _'But anyone would think that he wouldn't be acting like he's starving since he was a vampire before. Even when it was my first bite, I had better control him.'_ His hand goes to his neck and the puncture wounds from Itachi's bite are already gone. No one can tell that Sasuke gave his blood to his servant, except for maybe the scent on his clothes and bodies when Itachi grasped him. However, Sasuke wasn't too worried about that. His attention is to the area where his older brother bit in order to feed. He could still feel traces of that fierce sensation from earlier.

Hearing about the clothes, and since he was ordered to, Itachi looks up to the closet between the bookshelf and the door and gets up to move. When he looked inside, no doubt; fresh, clean clothes just waiting for him to put on. At least one thing changed about his room, they took out his old clothes that he knows don't fit him anymore and they got him new clothes. Some are hanged up on hangers and the rest is folded, most of them in the drawers inside. Itachi just grabbed the first pants and bottoms he could see. A black shirt with short sleeves and a small V shape area at his collar that resembles that of fish net_(I know that the original shirt is purple, but let me change it so Itachi doesn't feel like he's copying Sasuke by wearing the same color)_ and matching long black pants. Sasuke was still in the bathroom and with his new speed, Itachi quickly changed. They felt lighter than what he's used to wearing and while still being uneasy about the sunlight and cautious of the heat outside, the long pants and the short sleeve shirt is a good idea. But as he was changing, he almost ripped them since he gained some of his old strength back. 'Almost' being a very big word here.

'_Obviously, I need to control my new strength better,'_ he clarifies.

On inside of the closet door is a mirror and when Itachi sees his reflection in the mirror, he gasps to see himself. Not because his skin is back to ivory white, his hair is as dark as the midnight sky, his lips red from the blood consummation, and his once skinny form looks a little bigger. But VERY little. Still he notices that but it wasn't how he looked that shocked him speechless. It was the fact that he could see himself in the mirror at all.

"Well that's a lovely look on your face."

Itachi turns around and he sees Sasuke standing before him, his face a blank and his arms crossed in front of his chest. After only a moment of staring, Sasuke breaks off the staring contest by bending down and picking up Itachi's old clothes. "You won't be needing theses," he says. "I'm going to burn them because I don't want these clothes to stink up the whole castle." Then carrying the clothes in one hand, his other goes to his pocket to take out two items; a hair brush and hair band. It was only then that Itachi realized that his hair was down. "Figure you might need these. Your tasks for today will require you to wear your hair back. Besides, loose hair makes you look like a woman. Not that you already don't look like one." He got a glare for that. But Itachi takes the hair tie and the brush from Sasuke's hand.

"Bite me," Itachi mumbles, trying to give it attitude but he tenses up later after saying that and his eyes widen as his lips become a straight line at his mistake. Man, why did he have to say that without even thinking about it? It's so unlike him. He was upset for being recognized as a woman from his own brother and he just blurted it out! What happened to his control over his emotions?

"Already have, Itachi," Sasuke answers, "and you know my opinions on that." Then with that, Sasuke walks to the door with Itachi's eyes glued to him till he's right in front of it. "I won't be long and when I come back, I expect you to be ready."

Now his attitude is starting to tick Itachi off. Sure he's his master and everything now, but he will not tolerate disrespect.

"Hey, Itachi."

Not expecting to have been called, Itachi lets out, "Hm?" What Sasuke said next was something the older brother really didn't expect to hear.

"I understand."

Itachi's eyes narrow a bit and he stares at the young raven hair. What on earth is he talking about? "Understand what?"

"_One day you'll understand…"_

Sasuke's eyes now appear distant and far off, as if he's in a different place…at a different time.

"Nothing."

Then with that, he left the room.

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And I am done! Whew. That took a lot. Ah poor Sasuke! Review please. Till next time!


	11. Cats and Hellhounds

**A/N: Hey guys! Compared to my past chapters, this one is pretty short. I'm sorry for that but my next one, I promise you, will have some drama. Just cope with me on this one, kay? Also, I might try an experiment later. Only because a friend of mine told me about a second season for an anime I haven't seen in a while. I might Naruto-nize it. But it's only a thought.**

**I do NOW OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story. If I did, I would kill Danzo myself and have the Uchiha clan be treated equally with the Senju clan, not gathered in one distant part of the village and be under tight surveillance. God, that still ticks me off… Anyway! Thank you for those that reviewed and I hope you like this chapter! I'm so happy that this story is doing so well. Thank you and enjoy!**

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Ch. 11: Cats and Hellhounds

_**Memory 2:Kitty Cat…**_

"_Sasuke, come down from there," Itachi commands, raising his voice so that his little brother can hear him._

_Sasuke lifts himself up on the thick tree branch and stands on it. "Why, nii-san?"_

_On the ground, about eighty feet below were Sasuke is, Itachi is on solid ground looking up at the high willow tree that Sasuke's on. Itachi has his hands on his hips while looking up at his little brother as Sasuke is walking on the tree branch as if he's walking on tight wire. "Because you're too high up in the tree," he answers. Well actually from how it looks, Sasuke is on the lowest branch of the tree. It just so happens to be really high up above the ground. "What if you fall?"_

"_I won't fall. I climb up here, didn't I?" Sasuke asks, the amusement still on his face. "Besides even if I do, I'll be alright."_

"_Because you always land on your feet? Or because I'm here?" Itachi asks, an amused smirk on his face. Sasuke pouts when he heard that and he stops walking. This time he has his hands on his hips when he's talking down to him._

"_Hahaha. Go ahead, tease me. You don't have to protect me all the time."_

_Then all of a sudden a wave of hunger pulse through Sasuke's body and staggers him. He suddenly lost his balance and begins to fall backwards. He makes no attempt to turn right side up and land gracefully like he always do from great heights. Seeing him fall like that, instantly Itachi reacts. He rushes over to where Sasuke will land and opens his arms to him, reaching for the little boy. His little brother lands right in them and Itachi falls to the ground from the weight._

"_Umff!"_

_Sasuke lays on top of Itachi and Itachi has his back against the ground. Seeing that the boy is safe, he tries to laugh out of relief and to lighten the mood. "Looks like I do, otouto." He continues to laugh, soon to expect after his little brother stops pouting, he would start laughing too but when the older vampire looks down, he sees Sasuke with his eyes closed tight, his expression in pain, and a hand clench tight together over his throat. His own eyes widen when he sees the little boy in pain and sits up, holding the now trembling boy. "Otouto? Are you alright?"_

_Sasuke squint his eyes open and his hand reaches for his brother's collar and he grasps onto it for dear life. "I'm…thirsty…" he whimpers, pulling himself up._

_Itachi understood. "Right." He helps Sasuke up until the boy's forehead is leaning against his shoulder and his panting breath brushing against his chest. "Go right ahead." Sasuke became more than happy to obey._

_The young vampire moves one hand up Itachi's face to his hair. When he grasps his brother's low ponytail, he pulls slightly. Enough for Itachi to tilt his head to the side and expose more of his neck. Then Sasuke uses his other hand to grasp his brother's shoulders and hoists himself up a little more. His eyes red with hunger and his fangs growing longer in his little mouth. The burning in his throat needs to be replenished at once. Itachi sharply gasps when he feels that piercing pain in his neck. But he relaxes seconds later. It seems that the pleasure of his little brother's bite came in sooner than before. Now he hardly feels the pain so long as he gives in early. All there will be is pleasure._

_Sasuke releases his brother's hair and wraps his arm around his back. His nails dig into Itachi's skin as his nails penetrate deeper into his brother's flesh. Itachi let out a deeper moan and he couldn't help what happens next. He leans back until he's lying on the ground, his arms on the ground and Sasuke holding him closer. The moans go deeper and very soon, Itachi is sweating. His hair and shirt is soon glued to his face and shoulders by the sweat and his eyes turn red from the blood loss and appear hazy with lust and pleasure. Then to his distaste, Sasuke stops. He retracts his fangs and licks the remains of his blood off the salty, damp skin. As disappointed as he is that it's over, Itachi tries to collect himself when he feels Sasuke releasing him and lifting himself off to hover over the older Uchiha vampire's body. Big onyx eyes stare down at him as he tries to catch his breath._

"_Nii-san, you look weird."_

_Well that's unexpected. "How so?"_

"_You're under me."_

_Hearing this causes a smirk of mischief and amusement to appear on Itachi's face as he asks, "How is that so weird, otouto?" Instantly the younger Uchiha vampire flushes red and he sits up, looks away, and fiddles with his fingers, totally embarrassed._

"_Well..ah…" Now he's speechless. So cute._

"_Want me to change that?" Before Sasuke knew it, Itachi grasps his wrists and tackles him to the ground. "Gotcha!"_

"_Ah! Nii-san!"_

_Now with Itachi pinning Sasuke down on the ground, his hands no longer on his wrists but rather leaning on the ground on both sides of the younger boy's head, light-hearted giggles ring out into the night. Itachi looks down at his little brother, stopping his laughter sooner than Sasuke's and he could see the little boy looking at him in confusion while Itachi's smirking. "You know I am getting a little thirsty. Want to feed me, otouto?" Then he leans to Sasuke's neck and starts nibbling on the skin. Sasuke was expecting his older brother to actually __**bite**__ him. Not tickle him at his sensitive spot._

"_Nyaa~ nii-san! Th-Th-That tickles!" He continues to laugh and Itachi continues to tease him. Mixing in with that laughter, Sasuke starts meowing. Hearing those kitty cries, Itachi stops. He pulls away to have him face to face with his little brother. Sasuke stops laughing when he started to feel Itachi's hair tickle his cheeks and cheek bones. _

"_Not only do you act like a cat, you sound like one. My little koneko-chan." He gives him a small Eskimo kiss and Sasuke giggles from the contact. Then Itachi gets off of the little boy and helps him up. Sasuke still had that small innocent smile on his face until he sees the bite marks he left on Itachi's neck; the bite marks that started to heal. He kept staring at them until they completely disappeared on his older brother's neck._

"_Ne, nii-san?" Itachi looks down with a smile from earlier events but when he sees Sasuke's sadden expression, he becomes confused and taken off guard. The little boy doesn't even look at him in the eye as he says, "You don't always have to go so far for me."_

"_You're right, I don't have to," he answers, shrugging his shoulders. Sasuke looks up at him at that, startled to hear that. "But I want to." Itachi forms a gentle smile on his face with warm eyes complimenting it and Sasuke now has wide eyes, a surprised expression, and a small blush on his cheeks. Not as bad before but still red. The older vampire rolls his eyes playfully at his little brother's reaction to his words. He then pokes the little boy's head with his fingers, like always and he asks, "How many times do I have to tell you? You are my precious otouto. I promise to protect you with my life. I won't ever leave you."_

"_Forever and ever, nii-san?"_

"_Forever and ever."_

* * *

"You want me to what?"

"Exhaust the hellhound puppies. Isn't it obvious?"

Before the two siblings is a small fence surrounding a fifteen radius circled area and inside that circle is a bunch of hellhound puppies playing with each other; or devouring metal, breathing out fire, or having a fight with its own three heads. From the looks of it, there might be sixty of them or is there twenty because Itachi accidently took one head as a hellhound when they have three heads? But yet again, a hellhound has a different amount of heads depending on the breed. Sasuke has a blank expression on his face at the sight of them while Itachi is showing the most emotion he has ever showed anyone; pure and utter disgust.

The older looking vampire turns to Sasuke and asks with a very, very dead voice, "How on earth did you vampires get hellhounds?"

Sasuke answers, as if it were simple knowledge, "Well after you left, a big pack of them attack our lands. Of course we took action and we had no choice but to kill them. However, we found these little guys and took them in, by the Kyuubi's will of course. We're raising and training them so that they may one day protect our castle but it's taking a while. That was more at least twenty years, you know."

Even his thoughts sound dead and full of dread as Itachi thinks, _'I know. It's common knowledge to know that hellhounds take at least thirty to __fifty__ years before they are full grown and these things can live over a good HUNDRED YEARS OLD!'_

"For now, they're still pups and will be receiving more difficult training when they're older. Right now, they need to play or they'll tear the castle to shreds and you're just the right man for the job."

'_He knows I HATE dogs. That's why he's making me go through with this. Masters usually teach their 'slaves' everything there is to know about how to be a vampire but because I already know that, he's making me go through petty chores as punishment for betraying the family.'_ "What happened to the one who exhausted them before?" Itachi dares to ask as calmly and composed as he can. Sasuke can actually hear the deep annoyance and distaste in his older brother/slave's voice.

"You can say that he's on a time-out," he answers. A time-out? What is this? A vampire Uchiha Day Care Center? "He did something he wasn't supposed to and I'm going to have to punish him for that. But I can do that later once I make sure you get the job down. I know you won't take long. Now go on. The hellhounds don't tire themselves out you know. Or at least, not for a while." If Itachi would just let his high-class, professional charade slip just one, Sasuke would know the full extent of how Itachi feels about this job. For now, only the Kyuubi will know, that is if he's even interested in listening to Itachi's thoughts at all.

Knowing that nothing will get done with him just standing there, cursing in his head and letting his stoic composure slip away bit by bit, Itachi turns to the contents of the fence and stares at the pups. He knows he better start tending to them otherwise Sasuke will order him to and then he really has to do it. Maybe if he does it pup after pup, it would make this a little easier. Yes, it'll take longer and he's outside in the hot sun with no breeze what so ever but if he tries to take them all at once, he'll defiantly lose his sanity and never gain it back. He looks over the small pack and tries to get into eye contact with at least one of them. One hellhound pup notices that he's being stared at and looks up at the source. Itachi _tries_ to smile at the pup while kneeling down and offering his hand to the little animal, hoping to fool it by showing that he's friendly but he knows just as well as the pup that the smile is totally fake and crocked looking. All Sasuke does is stand there and watch with a blank expression and crossed arms.

_Bark_

Well that became a surprise and it became more so when the pup with the three heads starts running to Itachi. It looks almost happy to go over to him and a thought passes though Itachi's head that maybe, just maybe, this job won't be so bad after all. He had no idea how wrong he was.

As soon as the pup was close, it instantly chomps on Itachi's hand all three of them. Usually a dog bite wouldn't affect Itachi so; considering that he went through so much worst but this is the first time he's ever been bitten by a hellhound and if the legends were true, their fangs can slash the vampire skin faster than a purified, holly dagger of the church.

There became a really long silence for probably the longest moment anyone has ever seen. Sasuke still only stands there, observing as even the other puppies became quiet. Rather it was the curiosity of how Itachi would react to the bite or the air suddenly tensing and becoming very chilling, no one knows. Everything was silent. Although for one moment, Sasuke's shoulder twitched as the silence and stillness continues to lengthen. Finally it ended with Itachi's other hand rising up to the puppy…

"You can't kill it," Sasuke quickly orders, knowing full well of Itachi's intentions. Itachi's hand twitched slightly.

"I wasn't going to kill it," Itachi corrects. If anyone denser than log, actually denser than Naruto, that person would think that Itachi must be smiling from the sound of his voice. But look into his eyes and you will see every possibly way for Itachi to not only kill the puppy biting his hand but also cause it so much misery, pain, and shame, it'll regret the day it was born for many life times. "I was simply trying to pray him off of me."

"By aiming for their necks?" Sasuke asks, not believing him one bit.

"I was going to grasp the skin on the back of their necks to paralyze them and then pull them off." As the wheels in his head turn at rapid speed to think of ways to have his little brother believe him, one thought came and Itachi, despite how sickened he will be later and how much this is going to hurt his pride, curls his lips up into a reassuring and convincing smile. He very slowly, and the way his hand moved it looks like it was broken and forcing itself to move, petted the puppy, or at least one of the heads and says, "See? Nice puppy." The dog bites harder and Itachi's smile twitched a little as blood begins to come dripping out. Very convincing…

"Wipe that fake smile off, Itachi," Sasuke orders. "It's shameful to resort to your prostitute tricks on me."

Damn…

Itachi completely loses the smile and a vein is pulsing on his head, a really big one. Sasuke lets out a sigh, completely bored and then snaps his fingers. On the silent command, the puppy lets go and runs off to its brothers and sisters. That's all it took? A simple snap of the fingers from the great Uchiha Sasuke? Now Itachi really does feel like killing something as his hand bleeds a little longer before healing instantly. While he's glaring a passage way to excruciating pain and suffering at the dog that dares to run away as if nothing happened, the bored looking vampire walks to Itachi.

"Let me get one thing perfectly clear, Itachi." The older vampire feels Sasuke grabbing his hair again and forcing him to look up. Sasuke's face is right up to his, only inches away from his and he's forced to look directly into onyx black eyes slowly turning to crimson red ones. "You are play with these puppies till they collapse with exhaustion. I don't care how you do it, just do it without killing another vampire or setting them to attack the castle. I am your master and you will _not_ disobey or disappoint me. Tell me you understand, Itachi."

Itachi grimaces at his 'master' but he has to respond. He took a moment but he answers, "I understand, otouto." His scarlet eyes narrow at that, but he lets go of his older brother's hair before he does or says anything he knows he's going to regret later.

But he does grab Itachi's hand and examines it. Itachi watches him as Sasuke confirms that the wound has healed and now there's nothing but blood on his ivory hand. The older-looking vampire was expecting the younger one to lick the blood away but he lets it go and stands up to walk away. He order, "Clean that hand up. That scent provokes more than just vampires."

Itachi looks at the blood on his hands and he becomes confused. Was it not Sasuke who told him that now as his master, he can take his blood whenever he wants? That he belongs to him and instead he gives up the opportunity to lick his blood from his skin and devour his blood. For some stranger reason, Itachi feels almost…disappointed. Like he was expecting more but didn't get it. So then he does as he's ordered, feeling no objection to not follow them but knowing in his mind that he hates to really be ordered around like some item. He takes one lick of the blood and when the taste of it hit his tongue, he looks back at it in wonder.

"_You taste better than tomatoes."_

'_No, little brother,'_ he thinks, remembering the naïve, innocent words that once belonged to his ingenuous little brother. _'It tastes like dirt.'_

**

* * *

**

I feel like in every Itachi/Sasuke memory, there has to be a bite. I know it's only the second memory but gotta show that Sasuke feeds off of Itachi and he likes it. Oh well. I know the next memory, it'll just be cute. Hehe!

**How was it? Good? Bad? Let me know. See ya!**


	12. Feeding Methods

**A/N: Hi guys! I am so sorry I didn't update in like FOREVER! But I have some serious problems right now… Anyhow, I think this is one of my longest chapters. I don't know if there'll be more like this one but I'm sure that the next one won't. I am so sorry it took so long and I hope you can forgive me. I hope that this scene is to your liking.**

**I do NOT OWN any Naruto characters or the story itself. Unfortunately, they belong to the uttermost cruel artists and story writer, Kishimoto. If he keeps torturing me with Sasuke going insane and Itachi now in the hands of Kabuto, I am going to hang myself before I even see the end… I can't take this…**

**Anyway! Thank you for those that reviewed and please keep them up! I love every single one of them and they help inspire me to write more! Thank you and enjoy!**

* * *

Ch. 12: Feeding Methods

"I…want…to…DIE!"

Even though Itachi didn't really scream it out, if anyone was listening the message would be clear.

'_I don't care anymore. Nothing is worth this humiliation! But before I die, where is that sneaky little brat I once called brother! Curse him! Where the fuck did he go?'_

Itachi got the job done. After hours of pure hell, all twenty puppies are back inside their fence home and are sleeping under the hot sun, panting in their sleep. By Sasuke's orders, he played with the cursed hellhounds till they collapsed with exhaustion and apparently, so did he. He's lying on his stomach on the grass right now under the hot sun, practically baking under the sun and he doesn't give a rat's ass. He did everything he thought he could do and actually had to do with handling these hellhound pups, except killing them. He tried this 'one at a time' trick, but they all came at him at once and all left the fence. Sasuke disappeared after that, but Itachi found him sitting under the shade in a tree high up. He always did like high places but now he looks like a hawk watching them. Itachi had to chase the puppies to make sure they don't go off somewhere they're not supposed to and they chased him with fire breathe following right behind him. He tried playing with them but it only lead to them trying to bite him to death. Then he thought about a walk but he couldn't find twenty leashes and their walk turned more into a run when they decide to chase him all over the garden. All the while Sasuke watched without a hint of emotion on his face, but his shoulder kept twitching every time something bad happened that hurt his older brother's pride. Then somewhere between the times of Itachi trying to give the pups hellhounds a snack and now, Sasuke disappeared and left Itachi. He left him to handle twenty puppies. Such a lovely, caring younger brother. He abandoned his older brother. So now that the task is done, Itachi is without energy and he's backing in the hot sun…with a burning throat.

'_The trial assured me that I was not going to be killed. Well it looks like Sasuke drained me dry and I was sent to hell! Oh who the bloody hell cares…thirsty…'_

But hiding in the shadows, watching the newly turned vampire slowly losing his sanity and his control, a shadow appears and he has a wicked smile on his face; along with sharp white teeth gleaming in the darkness. Then a tongue comes out and licks the lips surrounding those sharp teeth.

"Perfect…"

* * *

"Ahahahaha! You should have seen it! It was hilarious!" Sasuke is on the ground, laughing his butt off while slamming the ground with his fist while the other is holding his stomach from bursting out laughing. All Naruto is doing as this miraculous or terrifying event enfolds in front of him is sitting on the ground cross-legged not far from where Sasuke is and he's sitting there, watching and listening to the vampire prince's story telling of Itachi's, possibly, greatest humiliation. "Then when he was finally able to pet one without it biting him, it sneezed out fire and he was baked like a flaming marshmallow! I had to keep reminding him not to kill them and it took everything I had to not break down laughing right there! Hahaha!"

If anyone else besides Naruto was here watching Sasuke laugh like how he is right now, they would have thought that he finally cracked. That or some vampire hunter killed him and replaced him with this Sasuke fraud. He never laughs like this, or at least not in front people. But Sasuke is too strong for anyone to just simply kill and replace without a struggle. Naruto is just an exception for him to lower his guard a bit.

"So you came here to tell me these stories of how the hellhounds are treating your brother?" Naruto asks, trying to get this straight.

Sasuke tries to stop laughing momentarily to say, "Yes, but I also came here because I couldn't control myself any longer. My shoulder kept twitching and I was losing my self control. I don't know how you handle them but they're driving Itachi up the fricken' wall!" Then he starts laughing again. Until he suddenly stops. "Oh shit…stomach cramps…" Now who's withering in pain on the floor?

But Naruto only smiles at his once laughing now in pain friend. "I'm happy you're happy." Sasuke stops shaking from the pain of his cramps for a moment before looking up at the blond jinchuriki with slight confused on his face.

"Uh? Happy?" He sits up and faces his friend while also sitting cross-legged. "What are you talking about, you dope?"

"Oh come on, teme! You were laughing like a lunatic a moment ago and you're telling me that you're not happy? Since when do you ever laugh? You're always so emotionless, macho, and an ass most of the time. Only with me do you lighten up and you never laughed like that."

"I think your brain has finally turned into the ramen you like so much. I'm still the same guy I was yesterday."

"Only today your brother came home."

There became a pause after that. Sasuke stares blankly at the blond vampire in front of him for a moment before narrowing his eyes and looking down at the ground. Naruto didn't say anything. When Sasuke didn't have a comeback after he said that, his eyes widen in a small bit of realization and worry. Then the vampire prince lets out a sigh.

"It doesn't matter anyway. The only reason he's here isn't because he wanted to come home. He came here to kill you, remember?"

Sadly, Naruto nods. But he wasn't sad because someone wants him dead. A lot of hunters want him dead. It was for a different reason.

"But even still." The smile on his face brightens up a little more, causing Sasuke to stare at his friend in surprise. "He still came home and you won't show it, but you're happy he's back, right? He kept his promise."

As soon as Sasuke hears the last part, his expression turns bitter and he huffs as he looks away. "He did no such thing. You're acting like a teenage school girl watching a soap opera. Open your eyes to reality and start acting like the Kyuubi's jinchuriki. Your behavior at this point is disgraceful." He got a look for that.

Naruto looks at his raven-haired, pale skin friend with a sour look on his face as he thinks. _'At least I'm not the one who's acting like the teenage girl that believes every male in existence is a total idiot. He can be so obstinate at times.'_ But then a small, itsy bitsy fact comes across the blonde's mind. It came with Sasuke's words about reality.

"Oh, now that I think about it. Isn't it about time for Suigetsu's gardening duties?"

Three, two, one…

Sasuke instantly gets up and starts running off into a panic. "Naruto, stay here!" he orders, or screams while running as fast as he can back to the garden to where his brother should be.

But Naruto thinks, _'Yeah, sure. Like I'm going to miss this.'_ He gets up and starts running after his friend but as quiet and sly as he can be. Usually something like that is impossible for him to do but with Sasuke in a panic and his mind set on getting to his brother clouds the prince's senses and he leaves a trail of dust behind him as he runs.

* * *

A man, possibly around the same age as Sasuke looks right now, or maybe a year or a few extra months older and goes by the name Suigetsu, approaches the worn out dark brown hair vampire who's just waiting for death to set him free from this cursed life he's been afflicted upon. Suigetsu has slightly tan skin from the sun's UV rays and his mid shoulder length hair appears to be pure white. It glistens in the sun like crystal clear pond. His body looks a bit on the muscular side compared to the vampire princes but he's not too big or buff. He's a bit slender but has bigger muscles on his body. He has an adorable look on his face and a victorious smirk on his face, revealing his razor sharp teeth; teeth that resembles that of Kisame. Finally, his velvet purple eyes appear to be smiling themselves with each step he takes towards Itachi. He's already confirmed that the vampire before him is so tired out that he no longer has any energy to move. Not to forget to mention that he is a new vampire so he's more thirsty than the normal vampire diet. His throat must be burning by now. Suigetsu has been watching for a while. Possibly since right before Sasuke left because he needed to start laughing or he was going to explode. Now that the body guard is gone, it's just Suigetsu kneeling before the thirsty, exhausted vampire.

"Are you thirsty, Itachi-sama?" he asks, his voice high like a child's and full of mischief. Itachi doesn't answer. Almost as if he's already passed out or he's already dead but Suigetsu knows better than that. He moves a little closer to the weakened vampire and he takes out a knife. Then he pricks his finger and the smell hit Itachi's nose so fast, a fallen piano from the twentieth story would not have been fast enough. Then he had no control over his body. Itachi looks up to the side to where the smell of blood is coming from and Suigetsu decides to provoke him by rubbing the blood on Itachi's pale lips. He gladly licks it and moans from the sensation and taste of that blood. His eyes are glowing red and he stares at the finger with plead and want. He tries to reach for it with his tongue but Suigetsu pulls his finger away and Itachi looks up to see the man lick his finger clean. "Do you want this blood, Itachi-sama?" He lowers the hand back down and this time he presents his bare, perfectly smooth skin wrist before the vampire. "You're gonna have to bite for it." Like Itachi is going to complain at this point. The desperate vampire, who can no longer contain the monster within, grasps the warm blood wrist and Suigetsu's velvet eyes light up as a hopeful smile twitches at his lips. Right when Itachi was going to bite down on the wrist and devour the warm, satisfying, thick liquid, he hears…

"ITACHI! DROP THAT HAND, NOW!"

As ordered, Itachi drops the arm but flinches and tenses in surprise of the voice, his eyes returning back to normal. Suigetsu loses his smile and looks up to the side to where the voice came from but next thing he knows, Sasuke zooms right pass him and the young vampire punches Itachi square on to knock some sense into him. Itachi goes flying for a good moment before tumbling down on the ground. Suigetsu could only watch with blinking surprise eyes. Instead of turning to him, Sasuke's head must only be set on his brother because he completely ignores Suigetsu and goes up to Itachi to grab his collar and shake him.

"Are you out of your mind?" Sasuke asks, sounding completely stressed out. "Get a hold of yourself, you moron! What the HELL were you thinking?"

"Well it was your fault. You left him alone," Suigetsu mumbles. He got a death glare for that and the tan man flinches from the stare.

"Suigetsu."

Hearing his name, Suigetsu looks up and he sees Naruto suddenly right next to him. The sudden appearance would have caused him to jump since the Kyuubi's host is so close. But he figured that if Sasuke's here, Naruto has to be nearby. When the vampire prince sees him, he was taken back, then more stressed, and then angry.

"You shouldn't have done that," Naruto scolds. "Itachi is a new vampire and hasn't been released from his servitude bonds with Sasuke. If he had bitten you and turned you into a vampire, not only would he be in trouble but you would be too."

"Actually while Itachi-sama is at the mercy of his master, I would be killed," Suigetsu corrects, letting out a defeated sigh.

"If you know the consequences, why did you do it?"

"When am I gonna find a better sucker to turn me into a vampire than the worn out, starving one in front of me? I'm pretty sure Sasuke's not going to put him through hell after he releases him so better get bitten now while I have the chance. Besides, I know Sasuke won't let anything bad happen to his friends."

"Keep it up and I wouldn't even mind sending the hellhound puppies on you. The both of you."

Hearing him finally speak, both Suigetsu and Naruto turn to Sasuke and they see a very, very dark aura around him, plus three huge veins pulsing. Oh boy. Hell is going to break loose real soon.

Three…two…one…

"What the FUCK is wrong with you two?" Sasuke screams, not caring if the whole castle can hear him. Both Naruto and Suigetsu stumble back as Sasuke, now having released Itachi earlier, stands before them and cause the one Kyuubi's Jinchuriki and one human to feel rather small compared to the raging vampire before them. "Suigetsu, how many times do I have to remind you that as a human worker of this castle, you have to EARN your right to be a vampire by putting in so many years of work and you have to prove your LOYALTY to the royal family? The only reason why you're still human and way past your acceptance years is because you try every attempt to become a vampire before your time is up! Haven't you learned ANYTHING? Why do you think your years keep piling up? And YOU, usuratonkachi!" His attention turns to Naruto and the young blond yelps before trying to hide behind Suigetsu for protection, who's already sweating like a cold, plastic water bottle out in the sun. "What the hell are you doing out here? I specifically ordered you to stay inside the castle and away from this weakling on the floor! He's trying to KILL YOU! Get those five words through that thick skull of yours and listen to my orders! I don't care if you are the Kyuubi's jinchuriki right now! How am I supposed to baby sit two things at once while trying to protect one from the other when one of them is a total DUMBASS!"

_Grasp_

When Sasuke cracks, it takes him a while to calm down fully or it takes a lot to calm him down instantly. But all it took this time was Itachi getting up and hugging him from behind, his arms wrap around the chest and shoulders and his forehead pressed against the nape of the neck. Suigetsu and Naruto blink in surprise as the angry fire that had once engulfed Sasuke is now completely gone. Like Itachi's simple move poured the ice water on it and the vampire prince is calm. Then the prince becomes startled, especially when the hold tightens.

"Wh…What are you doing, you idiot?" he asks, his cheeks red with embarrassment. He tries shove his older brother off of him, turning around to face him in the process, as he says, "Come back to reality and see what you're doing, dumbass!" But Itachi's mind is too hazy with thirst and lust to listen to him now. He grabs Sasuke's wrist and pulls him close again. Now Sasuke is really blushing with Itachi's head leaning against his shoulder and feeling his breath tickle his skin like soft feathers. "I-Itachi! I demand that you release-" He couldn't finish the order. All too fast, he feels a hand grasp his naturally spiky raven black hair and pull his head down to expose more of his neck. Then he feels Itachi's lips press against his skin. He didn't mean to but at the contact of his lips, Sasuke gasps and then he feels a tongue pressing against his skin. This time he bits back a moan when he feel that tongue lick his skin and feel the veins under his flesh pulsing with blood. It's driving him insane.

The two brothers became completely oblivious to what's around them. They didn't even hear Naruto talking as he was trying to move Suigetsu into a different direction. "Nice day today isn't it? The plants are glowing especially beautiful today."

"Whatever you say," Suigetsu responds, trying to watch the little show Naruto is trying to distract him from. It's not every day you see Sasuke get heated up passionately or embarrassed like how Itachi is doing to him now. This is a sight to behold. Then…

"Suigetsu!"

The white hair human turns his head forward and besides him, Naruto tenses up at the red flash coming up. Next thing Suigetsu knew, a fist collided with his cheek and he went flying back. Naruto stands there, tensed and a little shaken as Suigetsu who was standing right besides him is replaced with a rather angry woman. This woman that now stands before him is a looker. Nice curves, not too big of a chest, a tight butt, flat stomach, lovely legs, and a strength to be scared of; right next to someone else Naruto knows. This woman has a lighter complexion compared to Suigetsu. Actually it appears to be a shade or two darker than a vampire's skin tone color. She has fiery red hair that's in a rather unusual style. Half of it is neat and one length while the other half appears layered and a little messy. Right now, her hair appears messier than usual. Probably trying to run as fast as she can to get here. Complimenting that red hair, she has crimson red eyes behind those black-lined glasses and they appear just as angry as Sasuke was minutes ago. The fire burning in those red eyes of hers and it made Naruto take several steps back before he gets caught in the middle of Kirin's fury.

When Suigetsu pushes himself up and uses his hand to wipe the cheek that just got pummeled, he asks, "What the hell was that for, Kirin?"

Kirin has a big vein pulsing on her head and she yells, "You idiot! Why do you always try to find the easier way out of humanity? There's a reason why you're still a human!"

"I wasn't doing anything of the sort," Suigetsu lies. "I just so happened to be here because I have to water these god-forsaken plants!"

"You think I'm a fool, Suigetsu? You've been trying to get every starving vampire to bite you for the past five years! Get it through your thick skull that you need to pay your dept before you can become one! Maybe if you just remember that small fact, you would be a vampire by now!"

"Well that's no fun, love. Just paying my dept quietly is too boring. Can't I spice up my life before I give it up?"

This time Kirin flinches. She's already angry but what Suigetsu just said affected her like an arrow unexpectedly shot out of the sky and hit her square on. "Then you're not serious," she accuses. Suigetsu raises a brow when he heard that. Now she's clenching her fists and gritting her teeth as she says, "This is the hundred time you've tried to get a vampire to bite you because thinks are _boring_. I thought you were trying to become a vampire so that you could claim me personally since I obviously can't become one!"

This time, her words hit him square on. "I am serious! Why do you think I'm trying to become a vampire? Because it's pissing me off on how every vampire can just walk on by and with a snap of their fingers, their fangs are in your flesh! I'm sick and tired of it!"

"Jealously isn't going to get you anywhere and neither is trying to use the easy way out! The easy way isn't always the best way. I thought that after every failed attempt you would learn that by now! I cannot believe that you would scoop so low as to use Itachi-sama this time! Don't you care at all of what would happen to him or Sasuke?"

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. You know something, since day one you've been obsessed over him!"

"That's not true!"

"Oh yes it is! Since the beginning you've been fantasizing about him and wondering what it would be like to get into his pants!"

"In case you've forgotten, he's the reason why none of the other vampires have claimed me yet! He's protecting me from them for you! It's my way of showing gratitude."

"Well it's pathetic and irritating! Love is taken seriously here and I thought you were serious about me!"

"Is this your way of breaking up because the act of how 'oh, I'm the poor victim here' is what's pathetic!"

"You want to break up, that's just fine with me, bitch!"

"We're through then, you ass!"

"Perfect!"

'_And in a few days from now, I'm gonna find these two in some kind of closet making-out because they couldn't stand to be apart from the other,'_ Naruto predicts, already knowing that this couple is now on 'off'. _'On and off relationships. I will never understand them.'_

Meanwhile, Itachi's mouth continues to play with Sasuke's skin and the boy is blushing red from the feeling it's initiation in the pit of his stomach and much lower. It made him let out a hiss and he almost lost full control when he feels Itachi's fangs ticking his skin. He became weak in the knees and he only had the support of his older brother to hold him. When he felt Itachi taking one more lick of his skin, the stroke taking longer than the others, Sasuke couldn't stop the mew that was just begging to be released.

"My little…koneko-chan."

Then finally, Sasuke feels those fangs pierce his skin once again and a burst of pleasure spread throughout his body before he could blink. He didn't tense from the pain of those fangs. He was already loosened from Itachi's talented mouth playing with his skin. His arms that were once between them from when he tried to push away limp to the side and that gave full access for Itachi to pull him even closer. Every line of their bodies became pressed together. Sasuke's breath hitched when he felt those fangs penetrate deeper into his flesh to suck more of his blood. This was bound to happen. New vampires need lots of blood, but not too much or it'll be the same as training a vampire to be an uncontrollable bloodthirsty monster. Another reason why they need lots of blood is because if they use their new vampire abilities, it'll be the same as running out of gas. Sasuke made him do some work under the hot boiling sun so it was no wonder that he was going to try and bite someone. The only good thing now is that Itachi is feeding off of his vampire master instead of a human.

The really bad thing is Sasuke is starting to lose control.

His hands that were limping besides him finally gain some life as they rise up, shaking but desperate and they grasp the fabric on Itachi's back and shoulder to pull himself closer. If Itachi had any conscious at all, he would notice Sasuke's now panting breath heating his shoulder. His fangs lengthen and the very tips of it press against Itachi's skin, ready to chomp down and have that delicious thick blood explode in his mouth again. But like before, he stops himself and it took him a few seconds for him to gain back some control.

"Itachi," he calls, firmly but his voice still deep from the pleasure. "This is an order. Get…OFF!" In one strong push, he shoves Itachi right off of him. A risky move considering that the vampire still had his fangs in his neck. But thankfully, he gets away with two puncture wounds. Itachi hit the ground like an exhausted loser that just ran the mile. He was still in a daze as he lays there on his back on the ground but slowly and surely, he's starting to come back to reality. Sasuke pants from the excitement as he stares at his brother. Damn, that was really close.

His wounds heal in minutes, but they took longer than they did before.

"Sasuke." The raven head looks up to his side just in time to see the face of his blond friend before Naruto leans to his neck. "You're bleeding." He was just about to lick the blood when Sasuke stops him and pushes him away.

"Don't even try it," he tells him. "It's bad enough we bent the rules this morning because of you anxiety. Thankfully Itachi's return distracted everyone from that. I don't want to take another risk of you getting in trouble." Naruto went goo-goo eyes when he heard that.

He hugs his protector and cheers, "Ah, you do care!" Sasuke pushes him off again.

"Get off, you dope. Suigetsu." He looks at the white hair human only to see him facing his back against the pissed off red-head who's doing the same to him. He didn't have to ask, nor did he want to. "Pass me a rubbing alcohol wipe and a towel, would ya?" Hearing his command, Suigetsu stops glowering and does as he's ordered. Jealous of him or not, he's still the boss and like a 'good little' worker he is, he needs to obey.

Around that time, Itachi finally came back to his senses. First he cringes from the sunlight in his eyes before sitting up from the ground and rubbing his head from the throbbing headache he's feeling right now. _'What in the world just happened?'_ he wonders, trying to remember. _'First that human approaches me and then blank.'_ Then he gasps. _'I didn't bite him, did I?'_ Quickly, he looks around to see if he can find some body quivering in pain from the vampire's bite. He knows the rule too about not turning anyone into a vampire if you're a servant. But he doesn't see a body. Instead, he sees Sasuke ripping open a small packet and then taking out a drenched wipe that smells like alcohol. He wipes it on his neck and alcohol mixed with blood fills the air. He also sees Suigetsu, Karin, and Naruto but his attention is on his little brother. _'Did I…bite him?'_ Feeling someone staring at him, Sasuke looks at Itachi and reveals the blood being smeared on his skin. _'I did.'_

Seeing Itachi's surprise expression made Sasuke raise a brow. Why does he look all so surprise? He doesn't remember what he did, did he? His eyes narrow and his lips became a solid line at that thought. "Be grateful," he says.

Uh?

Itachi didn't expect to hear that as Sasuke continues to wipe away the blood on his skin. "That's twice you bit me and a good thing too since you almost bit Suigetsu."

Suigetsu? Is that the name of the one who approached him? All he remembers seeing is tan skin. When he looks up to see which one of the other two males that are here, he couldn't tell which one it must be. There are two males with tan skin here and they both have an inhuman aura around them; one looks pissed off as all hell and the other looks curious as he stares at him.

Then all of a sudden, Naruto appears before Itachi, kneeling in front of him. Sasuke tensed and freaked a little at the sight of Naruto suddenly in front of Itachi and the older looking vampire leans back to put some distance between him and the curious male. Doesn't this guy know personal space?

Sasuke grabs Naruto's shoulder and pulls him back. "What are you doing, you dope?"

"Oh calm down for once, teme," Naruto dryly says. He slaps Sasuke's hand off of his shoulder and says, "He can't kill me so long as you don't let him."

'_Kill __him__?'_ Itachi wonders, hearing this. _'Is he the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki?'_

Naruto looks back at Itachi and gets even closer than before. Itachi still leans back but it appears that the farther he leans away, the closer Naruto leans. Sasuke let out a sigh from how true the blonde's words are and rubs the temples on the side of his face. He orders, "Itachi, you are not to attack this vampire before you. Nor are you to kill him. Tell me you understand."

Itachi could only look at him for a moment before looking at those curious, staring blue orbs right in front of him. He answers, sounding really uncomfortable, "I..understand." Even if he wasn't ordered to not lay a hand on this boy before him, he wouldn't want this kid anywhere near him at this point.

Naruto continues to stare at him and invade more of Itachi's personal space. At first, Sasuke would have found this funny that Itachi is getting uncomfortable but even he is starting to find this closure disturbing as he starts towel drying his skin. Why the heck is this dope getting so damn close for? If there is something on Itachi's face, he could at least told him. But then the blonde vampire suddenly grins and says, "I've decided. I like you and I dislike you."

Huh? His statement creates two confused looks from the two Uchiha brothers.

"Naruto-sama, I swear you make the most outrageous saying sometimes."

Both brothers and the blond look back at Suigetsu and Karin. At least they don't look fuming angry but they still look pretty upset and they're standing pretty far apart. Sasuke tosses him the towel once he was done and the rubbing alcohol wipe. "I don't need to tell you not to do it again. It'll just be a waste of my words."

The white-hair grins. "In a way you did, Sasuke." The raven hair narrows his eyes at him for saying that. Then Suigetsu turns to Itachi and his expression turns to child cuteness and playfulness. "Sorry about trying to get you to bite me, Itachi-sama. I just wanted to be a vampire already since I've been working here for so long."

Itachi blinks once from Suigetsu's words. "You mean you _want_ to be a vampire? Why?"

"Well I _had_ my reasons," he answers, eying Karin. "But at the moment, I don't think it's worth it." Karin returns the stare with a death defying glare and a very dark aura. Now Itachi is confused on rather the red-head before him is a human or a vampire. She defiantly doesn't have their pale skin but that aura is not human.

Sasuke lets out another sigh. What a troublesome day. "Itachi, these humans before you are Suigetsu and Karin. Both of them are one of the many human workers in this castle that work for their permission to become vampires."

Suigetsu chuckles while waving. "Well I am, but Karin over here can't become one." Now this interests Itachi. How can a human not become a vampire? But before he could ask, Suigetsu decides to make a proper introduction. "Sorry about my attempt to getting you to bite me earlier. Even though I know you would get in trouble for it, I didn't care. I was only thinking of myself."

'_This guy…'_ Itachi thinks, looking at this guy with a twitching eyebrow. _'…he annoys me. Saying stuff like that without a hint of remorse on his face and judging by his innocent smile, he has the cruelty of a child.'_

"Ne, as an apology, would you still like a drink of my blood?"

Hearing this, Itachi blinks in surprise and confusion. Did he just hear him right?

But Sasuke answers, "That won't be necessary. He's already had enough blood. He doesn't need any more. Besides, he won't be able to control himself if you simply offer it to him."

"Then would you like a drink, Sasuke? He did bit you instead of me."

"I'm fine. I don't need any blood."

Hearing those words, Naruto has on a face of pity and concern as Karin is still angry and Suigetsu and Itachi are confused. But Itachi is the really confused one. Seeing his expression from the corner of his eye, Naruto turns to him and says, "Confused, Itachi?" The attention is turned to the confused vampire as he looks at the grinning blonde one in front of him. "Don't worry. I understand. A lot of things changed since you've been gone. That includes our feeding methods. But I guess it can be considered that your departure from the throne sort of inspired for the change."

"Naruto," Sasuke calls, his voice sounding like he's warning the Jinchuriki to not say more than he has too.

But Suigetsu says, "Oh let him tell the guy, Sasuke. If Itachi is going to be staying here for good, he needs to know about the new changes sooner or later. Way I heard it, your family made these changes in hope that he would one day come home." Itachi's eyes widen for a moment as Sasuke uses every fiber of his being to not break Suigetsu's neck right now. Why is he saying such unnecessary things now?

Naruto grasps Itachi's attention again by saying, "Anyway, Itachi, about every human worker in the castle is also a blood donor. We discovered that we don't need human sacrifices and suck them dry like how we used to. A more civil method is having them cut themselves with a blade and then we suck a small portion from the wound. However, there have been some exceptions." Before Itachi could ask, Naruto points to Karin and says, "She's the only one in the whole castle who can't be turned into a vampire!" Itachi never heard of this. He looks back at Karin and now that the attention is turned to her, she lost her demonic aura. She looks at Itachi, for the first time really since he's been here, and it's a checking the other out moment. Itachi looks her over in wonder and surprise as Karin looks him over as if searching for something. "So if anyone wants to feed from her, they don't have to go through the trouble of cutting her. They would just bite her."

Then it became Karin's turn to get up and personal with Itachi. Naruto looks at her in confusion as to why she's here as Sasuke and Suigetsu tense up when they see this. Itachi backed away when she suddenly appears and now he's a bit uncomfortable with the smirk on her face and the gleam in her eyes. "You won't get in trouble if you bite me, Itachi-kun. Just let me know and my blood is yours for the taking."

Then he feels that angry aura again. He doesn't have to look very far to see not one but two evil auras like that. Sasuke's irritated enough as it is so probably suddenly being all friendly with the man who attacked their castle only hours ago is probably pushing him way past the limit of furious. Suigetsu though, Itachi can sense a very strong vibe of jealousy and anger coming from him. Wasn't he just glaring at this girl a few minutes ago?

To distract himself from those auras, Itachi asks Karin, "How is it that the vampire venom has no effect on you? I have never heard of any human getting bitten and not being turned into a vampire." Karin giggles, much to the other two's dislike. Now Itachi can't ignore those auras and Naruto is already hiding behind Itachi for safety.

Karin appears insensible to it as she answers, "I'm a weird one apparently. I never knew my family so I don't know where I came from or what my family inheritage is but I apparently have a very unusual blood type that resists vampire venom. The Uchiha family found me covered in rogue vampire bites but I was still a human. The family is really nice since they give me a place to stay, food to eat, and I work here as head of the security. I have a gift for being a very sensitive aura detector. My ability is even more sensitive than that of a normal vampire." Itachi did hear her and he would have been more fascinated with this human if it weren't for the 'stop talking and get fifty feet away from each other' message he's getting strongly from his little brother and the vampire-wanna-be. So all he could do is nod to show that he did hear her. Since she notices that his attention is on something else, Karin looks up over her shoulder to see the two auras and instead she turns back to Itachi and assures him, "Oh don't worry about them, Itachi-sama. Suigetsu and I are over so he's just upset that I'm already talking to another male and Sasuke just doesn't approve of my ways of moving on from a relationship."

Even if he wanted to get some more information from this girl, he can't. Itachi has other things on his mind that include the two demons from hell in front of him. "I see," is all he can say.

Finally, Sasuke decides to talk. "Karin, stop flirting with him." Then he grabs Itachi's arm and hoists him up as if he were a doll and Naruto is still clinging to Itachi's shoulders hiding behind him. Itachi couldn't avoid Sasuke's possessive eyes as he claims, "He's mine."

For some strange reason, Itachi feels…weird. It has been a while since he's felt anything and now, he's experiencing all of these emotions that Sasuke unleashed as if he were the key to some kind of secret treasure chest and when he said those words, it made Itachi want to agree with him. But that's too weird, correct? How can that be right? "Since when have I become yours, little brother?" he asks, trying to sound like his own individual person instead of an object.

But Sasuke answers, "Since I bite you and became your master! Now listen to master and take over Suigetsu's gardening job!" What? Hearing that got everyone's attention as if he just told everyone that they had chores to do like a mother and four kids. "It's your punishment for trying to bite him."

'_He cannot be serious…'_ Itachi thinks, his eyebrow twitching again in irritation.

"Ah, Sasuke?" Suigetsu calls, getting the young prince's attention. He tries to say, "You don't have to be that hard on him. Having him take care of the Hellhound puppies was hell enough and-"

"Oh don't worry, I have a job for you too," he interrupts. Eh? "Don't take this as a day off, Suigetsu. Not only are you going to get another year added, but you're also going to clean and polish the castle's bathroom as your punishment."

Now the human looks terrified as if his worst fear was just mentioned and he has to deal with it. "You don't mean the…"

"…The really big one that's about the size of three bedrooms? Yep. That's the one." Suigetsu turns to stone right there and Karin just raises up a brow, as if wondering what she ever saw in him or insulting him in her mind.

Seeing that Itachi is now either dreading the idea of having to work again when he's already worked to the bone or he's ready to kill someone for how absolutely ridiculous this is becoming, Naruto gets off Itachi's back and stands before him to pat his shoulder. "Don't worry, Itachi-teme! All Suigetsu has to do today is water the garden and mow the grass. It's an easy job compared to the hellhounds, in your case."

"'In your case?'" Itachi repeats, making sure he heard him right.

And Sasuke asks, "And what's with 'Itachi-teme'?"

Naruto answers, first to Itachi, "Hehe. I'm the one who usually plays with the hellhounds. They're a lot of fun actually but even I must admit that they're a handful. From what I heard, they're quite a handful for you since you don't like dogs." Itachi would have just lost it right there. This place…these PEOPLE…it's all too much. They are a LOT worst than the Akatsuki. How can ANYBODY handle those dogs and live to tell the tale?

Then Naruto turns to Sasuke and answers, "Since he's your brother and I already call you 'teme', I think it just seems fit that he should be called that. Besides," he leans closer to Sasuke till his lips are by the young Uchiha's ear and he whispers, "after what he did, I think I have the right to call him that." Itachi looks at the two of them confused. He didn't hear them but he is curious about what Naruto just said. Especially when he sees Sasuke narrow his eyes after he heard that.

Then Sasuke pushes Naruto away and asks, "What are you talking about, usuratoncachi?" He turns to the others and calls, "Oi, Suigetsu. Tell Itachi the details of your job and then get to work on that bathroom."

But the white hair man asks, "Can't it be something else? That bathroom will take days to clean."

"Then you better get started, huh? Karin, you're excused and it's time for you to get back inside, Naruto." He starts walking away and Naruto whines.

"Ah. Can't I at least play with one puppy?" he asks, catching up to him.

"They're all tired out and you're still grounded."

Karin steps in front of Suigetsu and then sticks her tongue at him while also pulling down one eye lid. A vein pulses on his head and she skips away to catch up with the other two. Itachi has his face in his hand as he thinks, _'If I ever had the worst day of my life, I think this day just out beat it.'_

The newbie vampire hears Suigetsu let out a sigh to control himself before saying, "Come on, Itachi-sama. I'll show you the ropes of this job before I have to go to my other one."

**

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**

Ne, so how was it? Good? Bad? Let me know. Till next time! Next Chapter: Goodnight and War


	13. Goodnight and War

**A/N: Hey guys! It's me again and now that I'm done with Sasuke's present, I can upload another chapter for this story that you all love! You guys told me that you like it when Sasuke is throwing a tantrum so how will you guys like to see Sasuke show a softer, more gentle side towards the suffering Itachi? –giggles- I sure hope you guys will like this chapter and I will say this that from here on out, there will be more scenes of Sasuke caring for his older brother.**

**Now then, I DO NOT OWN any of the Naruto characters or the story itself. I wish I did so then I could kill that Orochimaru-copy-cat Kabuto but sadly, I can't. Thank you for those that have reviewed and please keep them coming. I love every one of them and they all inspire me to write more!**

**Thank you and enjoy!**

* * *

Ch. 13: Goodnight and War

"Finally! Dinner time!" Naruto cheers, jumping up and down like a child of five on Christmas. "No more sitting in the castle! Time to move and eat! I'm gonna eat till I can eat no more! Ne?" He turned his attention to his raven hair friend but all he sees is a vampire prince zoning out the window.

"Ah," became his only reply. Normally it would be 'Calm down, idiot. You may not have been able to play with the hellhound puppies but that doesn't mean you can go jumping off the walls like a rubber ball.' But no. Naruto only gets a one word answer out of him.

Since it's dinner time, the sun is finally down and the moon takes its place in the sky. It shines brightly overhead and the stars compliment it as they twinkle in the black sky. Although it is hard to see them thanks to the moon's blinding light. But still, the night is beautiful…and it's late. After what happened in the garden, Sasuke gave the order to Karin that if anything should happen, if any bad presence approaches Itachi, she would contact him immediately. She did and she stayed with him most of the time since she's on 'off' with Suigetsu. But Sasuke ignored her the whole time she was there until she eventually left when she had other duties to attend to. Something was on his mind…Usually when Naruto gets grounded and is banned from going outside, Sasuke would make him study, and help him, or play card games with him. This time, he didn't play card games with him or help him with study. So Naruto's day was a total bore filled with nothing but whining and complaining. The even weirder part, Sasuke didn't say a word about it. He kept staring into space, rather it was the wall across from him as he sits at the study desk or out into the scenery when he's sitting on the windowsill and his back leaning against it. He's been like that ever since that event in the garden.

"Ne," Naruto calls, being right up to Sasuke from the side. Despite how close he is, Sasuke only moves his head away from the night-time scenery to face the blond without a single flicker of change in his emotions. "You know, you could look at least a little happier."

Emotion finally appears and it's confusion. Sasuke raises a brow and asks, "What are you talking about, you dope? Why should I be happy after what happened earlier."

"Well it's what happened earlier that I think you should be happier," he answers. That only makes Sasuke all the more confused. The only thing he's feeling after what happened is stressed.

"I already concluded that you're mentally impaired but now I'm starting to think you have ADHA. What the hell are you talking about?"

'_Who's the one with ADHA here?'_ Naruto wonders, rolling his eyes and cannot believing that one of the cleverest people he knows can be this dense. "Come on, teme! I may have been listening to Suigetsu's and Karin's fight, unfortunately, but that doesn't mean that I didn't see or hear what was going on between you and your brother. What I don't get is why didn't you bite him when you had the chance? I saw that you wanted to but you stopped." Hearing that causes more intense emotions to appear on the once expressionless prince and he's shocked beyond belief that Naruto just said that.

"Would you listen to yourself? Or are you that forgetful about the rules, usuratoncachi?" Sasuke asks, ready to lose his temper and start a tantrum again. Naruto hit the mark perfectly.

But Kyuubi's Jinchuriki tells him, "I know what happens if you bite him when he bites you or when his fangs are already in your neck but it was a chance of a life time and you threw it away! Why?"

"If you know the rules then you know why! First off, there is no way in hell, even if it freezes over and turns into the next ice age, will I bite him!"

"Would you calm down, teme? It's not like he's going to hate you if-"

"Already too late," he interrupts, not wanting to hear the rest. "He already hates me. You heard him at his trial. He hates every vampire in the world. That includes me as well."

This time, Naruto didn't have anything to say to that. He wanted to but he knows that his friend wouldn't want to hear it. It'll just be a waste of words. Besides, it's not like there is anything he can really say to make Sasuke change his mind about it. Especially after hearing Itachi's words earlier today. He remembers Sasuke just standing there, taking it all in as the once vampire hunter said all of that. It pained the blonde deeply to see his friend so distress when he heard that, no matter how perfect his mask was to hide the world his emotions. Naruto's been with him for a long time so he knows the holes in Sasuke's mask but even though he knows, he has a very hard time trying to comfort the vampire prince besides being there for him. It's like being given important information about what's wrong with something but can't do anything about it because he doesn't know exactly how to fix it.

Since this topic is officially dropped, and he really doesn't want to upset his friend too much, Naruto still has one more thing to say before completely giving up. "At least he called you by your old nick-name."

Raising a brow again, Sasuke asks, being confused as he is with the blonde Jinchuriki, "Huh?"

Now grinning, Naruto tells him like a teenage girl excited about her best friend's first crush, "Don't to deny it, Sa-su-ke. I heard what Itachi-teme called you before he bite you." Realization hit Sasuke so hard it looked like he stopped functioning for a good few minutes. Naruto only meant to tease him about it and see the raven hair blush or something. He wasn't expecting the vampire prince to briefly stop functioning.

"_**My little…koneko-chan."**_

Oh he remembers that alright and in truth, he was trying to forget about it.

While Naruto was expecting Sasuke to act the way he hoped he would, he instead relaxes his expression and looks back out into the scenery, now having his cheek leaning against his cupped hand and his elbow on his knee as he sits on the windowsill. This took the blonde vampire off guard and it made him confused. "You really should mind your own business, Naruto. It doesn't matter what he calls me. Not anymore."

Naruto can clearly hear the guilt and depression in Sasuke's voice as if he were speaking out exactly what he's feeling. He knows the reason behind it. He's always known. Since the day he met Sasuke when he appeared seven years old, the little boy was so upset that he practically told him everything right there and then. It was actually around the time that Itachi left the Uchiha castle.

"_**He promised that he'll come back, but…sniff…I know he's not…My brother is never coming back…sob…I'm never going to see my nii-san again…"**_

The blond can still remember those cries as clear as day. Yeah, Itachi hurt his friend a lot by leaving but with Sasuke's harsh treatment on him, even he's gotta admit that it's a little cruel for a first day.

"I think I figured out your problem!" he declares.

But Sasuke tells him before he could continue, "That's the twentieth time you said that this month. You actually have something good this time?"

'_Geeze. He's acting worst than when he first wakes up,'_ Naruto comments, better to keep that in his head instead of out loud. It's obvious that the older vampire teenager wants to just stop talking and be done with this conversation but Naruto's best, or worst, qualities is that once he sets his mind on doing something, he doesn't go back on his word. So he says, "Well I think that you should be nicer to your brother!" Sasuke nearly fell out the window after he heard that.

"Huh?" he asks, trying to confirm what the dope just suggested.

Naruto has his hands on his hips as he says, "You heard me, teme! Look! I dislike the guy for what he did to you but what you're doing, especially on his first day, is pure torture. You're also starving him more than he already is. He only had blood to survive on for the day and with the amount you gave him, I wouldn't be surprised if he's out there right now, collapsed or half dead! At least get him and bring him to dinner. I think Mikoto and Madara would love to see their eldest son at the dinner table."

"Hell no," became the raven hair's immediate answer. "You maybe the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki and I your protector who not only keeps you out of harm's way and obeys your ever command, but I refuse to show a hint of compassion to that man outside! Have you forgotten his crimes to the entire vampire society? When I was a kid, what I went through then is nothing compared to what others have gone through years later." He had a point there, politically.

"Yeah, sure," Naruto answers, stilling willing to argue about this fact. "Itachi-teme did cause a lot of pain and suffering and that's a no-no but he's here now, at home, and under your mercy. Though if you ask me, you don't have a lot of it. But deep down in that heart buried in layers and layers of ice, there is a little boy rejoicing that his brother is back. If I were you, I would cherish the time I have with him until his friends decide to come in and crash the party. I may not be a genius but even I know that from our last encounter with that blonde hunter, that hunting group is not gonna give up on him. They'll be back and with the way you're treating him, he's gonna go crawling back to them or beg them for death. Either way, the outcome will be the same and I don't know if I can deal with that, or you."

"Let me tell you something, Naruto." Then all of a sudden, he gets off the windowsill and Naruto only had a second of quick reflexes to take steps back and look up at his friend who now has a snowstorm coming out of his eyes. "I refuse to let that happen. Itachi is not only my servant but also a prisoner to the royal family. When those hunters come for him, and they will, they're going to have to pass through all of our strongest warriors, the royal army, and me. They have to be very lucky to pass the army but once their opponent is me, the last thing they'll ever see is my sword." Then he walks pass the stunned blonde and walks to the door. "Go to dinner. I'm not hungry. I'm turning in early." Then he's out the door before Naruto even had a chance to utter a single syllable to him.

But once he was gone, Naruto lets out a chuckle and shakes his head. "He could have just said that since his brother's home, he refuses to give him back. Teme, you're so stubborn and even more obvious than me."

* * *

When Sasuke found Itachi, the older looking vampire is leaning his back to a tree and is completely out of it. Besides him is not only an empty water can but also clippers and there are some leaves and twigs in his hair and on his clothes. Suigetsu's gardening job is usually just watering the entire garden with a special water. A simple job but that's if only he doesn't have to trim the hedges and sweep up fallen leaves, dead flowers, and rotting fruit on the ground. But no matter how simple the job sounds, the garden is pretty big. HUGE actually so it's no wonder that Itachi's passed out under a tree and it's been hours since he was assigned this new chore.

After looking him over, Sasuke looks at the garden around them and he sees that the garden looks a lot better than it did before. Not that it looked terrible earlier but the trees and the bushes look neater, the ground is clear, and everything has been watered. Anyone would say a job well done to Itachi, if the guy wasn't already sleeping. Compared to exhausting the hellhound puppies, this job was a cake walk but all the same, tiring.

'_Juugo would be impressed,'_ Sasuke thinks, finished examining the garden. _'Better to tell him that it wasn't Suigetsu who did it or that guy would talk all the glory.'_

Letting out a sigh, Sasuke kneels down before Itachi and stares at his sleeping face. "If he's anything like how he used to, once this guy's asleep, he's asleep. There's no simple way of waking him up." _'And if that dope is right, which he usually is, I must have overworked him deeper into slumber. Brilliant…'_

Then the young vampire prince looks around at his surroundings for a minute to make sure that he's the only one here and no one else. After confirming that he is, his hand goes to his brother's now loosely tied hair and he carefully pulls the hair band off. Then he strokes that midnight dark hair and brushes the twigs and leaves out of it. "You really made a mess of yourself, brother. If I didn't know that it was going to be a pain for you to wake up, I would order you to clean yourself up." After the hair, he starts brushing off the dirt, the leaves, and the twigs on the body, his hand feeling Itachi's rising chest and the hard muscles under his shirt. It became unnoticed to him that his fingers are lingering on the man's body longer than someone who mutually hates the guy he's touching. Only when the older vampire cringes in his sleep did Sasuke retract his hand back. But Itachi doesn't wake up. He only shifts his position to get more comfortable before going back to sleep. Sasuke took a moment to realize what he was doing before he mentally slaps himself.

'_Get a hold of yourself, Sasuke! You're an Uchiha, for crying out loud! Pull yourself together and control yourself,'_ he scolds himself, taking a moment to mentally contain himself. Then he looks back at the sleeping vampire before his features slightly soften. "But I've almost forgotten how peaceful you look when you sleep, nii-san." _'And it's amazing how peaceful you look being in a castle full of vampires.'_

After deciding, he grabs Itachi's arm and places it over his shoulder and uses his other hand to wrap around the man's waist before hoisting him up. Sasuke nearly gasp when he feels how heavy his brother really is, or rather how light he is. _'He's so light. Almost like a doll.' _Then Naruto's words start ringing in Sasuke's head again like a broken record player with fully charged batteries.

"_**You're also starving him more than he already is. He only had blood to survive on for the day and with the amount you gave him, I wouldn't be surprised if he's out there right now, collapsed or half dead!"**_

'_Damn, I really hate it when he's right!'_

But it's too late now. Since Itachi is dead tired, all he wants, and needs, is some well deserved rest. However, there is no way in hell that Sasuke is going to carry Itachi all over the whole castle. So what he does once he pushes the thought of his brother being light in the back of his mind, he walks around the castle in search of the older vampire's window. As he walks, his brother doesn't stir or even move since Sasuke picked him up. The teenage vampire took a couple of side glances and they happen quite frequently but they don't last long. Once the window was found, he leaps up in the air and lands effortlessly on the balcony. He enters the room and lays Itachi on his side on the bed.

'_That ought'a do it,'_ he thinks, heading back to the window door. _'Now it's time to turn in. Too much excitement for one day.'_ But right when his hand rested on the handle, he stops. He looks back at his brother lying the bed and he stares as the man just lies there peacefully in bed. Then he shivers. That shiver causes the Sasuke who was just standing in front of the glass window staring to come over to the bed and help him under the sheets and covers.

'_Damnit. Why should I care if he catches a cold or not. He's my servant for crying out loud!'_ In his mind, besides the self-lecture, he's mentally punching himself for behaving like this. It's like one simple movement of the body or hand and Sasuke's the one who feels willing to take care and obey his older brother.

Once Itachi is now tucked in under the warmth of his bed's sheets and covers, Sasuke doesn't leave quite yet. The man is still asleep and the teenager takes the risk of looking at his sleeping face again. He became hypnotized by his brother's sleeping beauty. The way his dark chocolate brown bangs just hang on his face and gently tickle his skin with their very tips and how his long, full eyelashes lay against his now creamy porcelain skin. The hair slightly bothered Sasuke because it was like they were hiding his brother's face when he really wants to see more of it. His body moves automatically. He sits down besides his brother on the edge of the bed and his ivory pale hand rises up to Itachi's face and brushes the bangs back ever so gently to cease the tired vampire from waking up. Not that he could anyway since he's out like a light.

The words that came flowing out of Sasuke's mouth came running out freely instead of going through his mind first.

"Beautiful…" He continues to stroke the hair as he says, "Your hair is so soft and so beautiful, like how I remember it. It's amazing to me that for someone who hardly takes care of himself could still look like a gorgeous being. However…" His hand becomes slow in his strokes and his endless pools continue to gaze upon his brother's face with gleam in them. "I missed your smile the most." Then his lips slightly curl up and he lets out a chuckle. "You know when we were kids, you made two promises to me and your broke both of them. Usually when you made a promise, you never broke it no matter what. But there's a first time for everything, I guess. You promised that you would never leave me and you promised that you would come back that night. You never did. You just left and didn't come back till now, wanting to kill Naruto. Pathetic, isn't it?" Then he does the riskiest thing anyone could do to someone who's asleep. He leans over towards his brother's face and he places a gentle and soft kiss on the man's forehead, pressing against his bangs.

The scent of Itachi's hair…it's intoxicating.

The tingle on Sasuke's lips…it's exhilarating.

When the teenage vampire pulls away, he stares at Itachi's sleepy face again. But instead of smiling from the bottom of his heart or a gentle expression now appearing on his face, the only thing there is guilt and pain. "I'm so sorry, nii-san." Then he leans down again, this time a little slow and a little hesitant. His hand that was stroking his brother's hair moves to his soft cheek and his finger tips gently press against it. When he was an inch away, he momentarily stops, as if testing to see if this is okay.

'_Even if it's only once…'_

Now that Sasuke is only an inch away from Itachi's lips, he could taste his brother's breath in his mouth. It makes his mouth begin to water and his pride and his strong charade to crumble away into dust.

'…_I want to pretend that I belong to Itachi as he willingly belongs to me.'_

But right when he was going to kiss him, Itachi moans. Sasuke tensed up and backs away instantly as if he were a poisonous snake. But once again, the man doesn't wake up. Only his face cringes as if being annoyingly teased and then turns to the side to sleep some more. As soon as he was back to sleep, Sasuke buries his head in his hands and this time, mentally stabs himself in the chest.

'_You dumbass! What the hell were you trying to pull?'_ he yells at himself. _'Now because of that, I probably gave the guy a fricken' wet dream for all I know! His report may have said that he's a virgin but it also says that he gets a taste of what sex is from not only other vampires but his teammates as well! He's probably dreaming about that right now. Ugh…revolting…'_

After his moment of lecture and really in need of his own rest, Sasuke takes one more peek at his older brother. Still sound asleep like a little baby. Practically makes the younger brother want to yell at the guy for still being asleep after what just happened. But the feeling of relief is stronger than his temper. If Itachi was awake when he did that, it's gonna cause a whole lot of confusion and more stress will be placed on Sasuke's plate than he can already handle.

The vampire prince's hand goes to his brother's head again and he gives his hair one last stroke before mumbling, "I really do hate it when that dope is right." Then he gets up and starts walking to the window again. But like last time, he stops again when he grasps the handle. He let out an annoyed sigh, knowing that if he doesn't say this he's going to get this nagging feeling all night. So again, he looks back at the sleeping man and he says, "Good night, nii-san." Then he finally leaves by exiting out the window and leaps off the balcony.

Shortly after he left, Itachi opens his eyes and looks at the closed window door. He sits up, his eyes still on the window door while wondering, _'What was that?'_ He looks down at his lap in thought.

Truth be told, he's been awake since Sasuke found him. He was only resting under the tree to look up at the stars since it was such a clear night and the moon was so beautiful. He was working all day so gazing at the scenery with a sore body was all he wanted to do. Then when he sensed that Sasuke was coming, he thought that he came to give him more chores to do so he tried to fake sleep. After so many years of practicing, tricking his vampire victims to thinking they have the advantage when he's asleep, he was able to make his little brother believe that he was dead tired. Fortunately for him, Sasuke still remembers that when he's asleep, he's a deep sleeper. Or maybe not so fortunate. If Itachi wasn't confused about how his baby brother was making him react up to this point, he is now definitely more confused than anything else. Being in the Akatsuki, he has a lot of control over his emotions, but not as of late since this castle is completely insane, however, it took everything he had to keep himself calm and not react when Sasuke's hand was brushing away the leaves and the twigs on his body. Or rather caressing him. He almost lost total control and that was why he moved the first time. Thankfully it worked but if it had lasted any longer, he would be like how he always was when he's working and there is there is absolutely no way is he going to pull the prostitute act or any kind of act on his little brother! Then the words that Sasuke spoke, they confused him the most of all. All day, the boy has been nothing but cruel and controlling with him and then all of a sudden, he's acting all gentle and loving. He became very tempted to just wake up and demand to know what's the deal with him was, but observing this new behavior more, and not having the energy to deal with Sasuke throwing a tantrum again, kept him quiet. When he shivered, he really was cold but he could have waited till Sasuke left to pull the covers over himself. However, he also wanted to see what his little brother's reaction would be if showed a sign of discomfort. It didn't help his confusion when the teenager actually came over to tuck him in. Then there was the mention of the childhood promises Itachi long ago forgot about and the kiss. That kiss…it set off every nerve in his body in more ways than one. It was like something electrifying just burst in his body and danced around like fireworks. Then…

"_**I'm so sorry, nii-san."**_

What on earth was he apologizing for? Besides torturing him, there is nothing seriously wrong that Sasuke did against him, right? So why was his voice so full of regret and pleading for forgiveness? It actually reminded Itachi a lot of the conversation he had with Suigetsu before they had to go to their new chores. Suigetsu was in the middle of telling him what his job is and they were at a small shack full of gardening supplies that Itachi was going to need when the white hair man noticed how upset the vampire still was. So he decided to talk to him to lighten up his mood.

"_Hey, don't be too hard on Sasuke. I'm know that what he's doing to you know is cruel and insensitive but I'm sure that he means well."_

"_He's the devil incarnated. Before I thought he was an angel incarnated."_

"_You two were really close, I take it then?"_

"_We were. But not anymore."_

"_Why is that I wonder. Do you hate him now?"_

"_As of right now, yes."_

"_Well let me let you in on a little secret. He doesn't."_

When Suigetsu said that, Itachi was not only shocked to hear it but for one second, he recognized the feeling of relief washing over him. It confused him greatly and it showed on his face. So Suigetsu was trying to explain to him before he could ask.

"_I wasn't here when you were or when you left, but I've been here long enough to know that you're the most precious thing in Sasuke's life and when you left, he was more heart-broken than you can ever believe. Most of the updates that happen in this place were created all for you to come home. You think King Madara thought of the new feeding method all on his own? Both the king and queen were just as heart-broken but Sasuke was the one who thought of it. Mostly everything he did was for you. Pathetic really, but sweet. However, I could never help but notice that he appeared to have been apologizing for something. The guy is just as mysterious and kept-self as you are, or at least from what I've heard."_

"_How long have you been here to know all that?"_

"_I've been here for a good ten years now. I came from the Land of Waves. My family was caught in the cross fire of a vampire extermination but how I saw it, it looked more like a vampire versus vampire conflict that we were unlucky enough to get involved in. I was young and don't remember it very well. But I do remember that both my parents and my two brothers were killed from the attack. I was barely alive and lucky for me, I was taken in by the royal family and they gave me a place to stay. Sasuke was the one who found me so he and I becoming friends was a no-brainer. I practically owe the guy my life.'_

"_If the vampires killed your family, then why do you wish to become one?"_

"_Because I fell in love with a girl whose blood can withstand vampire venom and the one who was just flirting with you shortly after we got into a break-up fight."_

"_Karin-san?"_

"_That's the one. She arrived at the castle around the same time I did and since she can't become a vampire, she's an open target for vampire biting. Just because they can feed on a human's blood from an open wound doesn't mean that no one misses the sensation of actually biting someone. It's the vampire nature. So I guess you can say that I got possessive and decided to work at the castle to become a blood-sucker and claim her as my own. But now she's upset because I had another failed attempted at becoming a vampire too early."_

"_How long were you supposed to be working for the family?"_

"_It matters on the job or how many chances you can get to prove your loyalty. I was supposed to be working for at least three years by work alone but when I actually saw Karin getting bitten by a vampire, I was pissed and went to find the first sucker I could find. Just recently, I saw another one."_

'_**So that explains it,'**_ Itachi thought when he heard that. So maybe Suigetsu really wasn't the cruel-little-child kind of guy. He just had a bad case of jealousy.

But it was what he said before about Sasuke's actions almost sounding like an apology for something Itachi has no idea what he should be sorry for lingers in the newly turned vampire's mind longer than the rest of the conversation and now hearing his little brother actually saying 'sorry' brought that statement back. Now his head is really pounding in confusion.

'_I just got here and already my head is about to explode,'_ Itachi thinks, running his fingers through his hair as a sign to show that he's stressed. _'Otouto is just one little surprise after another. Maybe it's a teenage thing and he has mood swings but…'_

Itachi looks back up at the window and from where he is, he can still see the moon. Looking upon the moon's pale beauty as it bright up the entire night sky made him think of his little brother again. His pale moon skin and his midnight black hair. Sasuke is like the moon itself. Shining in all his glory in a dark world, illuminating everything around it and making it shine in an incredible beauty. Graceful and strong he has become and like the moon that changes shape every night, his attitude can change from better to worst or worst to better. So far it's been worst to better. Itachi stares at the moon a little longer before laying back down on the bed and pulling the covers over him to keep him from the cold.

Then before he closes his eyes and falls back into the depths of sleep, he mumbles one more thing. "Good night, otouto."

_**

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**_

Memory 3: Off to Battle…

"_Nii-san, do you have to go?" the little Sasuke asks, watching his older brother putting armor on and preparing himself for battle._

"_Yes, Sasuke." After putting his sword securely on his back, he turns to the boy and explains, "The Kaguya hunters are getting closer and closer by the night. I'm summoned to put a stop to them." But hearing this scares the little boy._

_Sasuke rushes to his brother and tries as best as he can to wrap his arms around the teenage vampire's waist. He clings to him and says, "But I heard the Kaguya hunters are very stronger hunters. You could get hurt."_

_The boy is just worried that's all. Their mother was the same way when she got the message from her mate that they need Itachi in the battlefield. The older prince smiles at the younger prince, looking upon his beloved little brother with such adoration and feeling touched that this little one cares so much, and then pulls the arms off so that he can kneel before him and become the same eye level as him. "And other vampires will die if I don't help them," he tries to explain. His hand goes to the boy's unruly spiky hair and brushes his fingers through those locks as he says, "I must go to protect our home, our parents, and more importantly, you. I'm strong, I can take care of myself."_

_What the prince is saying is true. Itachi is known to be one of the most gifted warriors in the vampire world. There has never been an enemy that could bring him down to his knees in mercy and for being so young, many have praised him as being an excellent king once he inherits the throne. Sasuke knows this and he looks up at his brother for being so strong but the young boy can't help but worry that one day his brother will be called to battle and never come back. The mere thought of that scares him to no end. He grasps the hand on his head and snuggles closer to it, feeling the warmth and gentle touch of his brother's hands. Then his once sadden face becomes one of determination as he declares, "When I grow up, I'm going to get stronger too! That way, I can fight alongside you and we'll protect our home together."_

_Itachi sure didn't expect to hear that. He's surprise as he can see how serious this little vampire boy is. The way his onyx eyes shine with a sense of strength and the perseverance of his vow. In a way, it's touching and adorable, especially when Itachi knows that the boy only wants to become strong to protect him. Though the idea of his precious brother in battle does scare him but if he's that determined, how can he deny him? "I like that, otouto. My little koneko-chan." He leans closer to the boy till his lips press against the boy's forehead. Itachi can feel Sasuke becoming hot from the contact of the kiss and when he looks down at the young vampire, he can see how red he is. "You will be a fine warrior. Train hard every day and you and I will fight alongside each other to protect those we love. Okay?"_

_Hearing his encouraging words, Sasuke's face brightens up like the sky's brightest star and he nods his head with a big smile on his face. "Yes, nii-san!"_

**

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And done! So how was it? Good? Bad? Let me know, okay? The next chapter will be answer most of the questions you all probably have right now and it will be called 'Memories of a Loved One.' I wonder if you guys know what this one is going to be about? Hehehe… Till next time!


	14. Memories of a Loved One Pt 1

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I'm taking so long but when I was writing this chapter, it was getting way too long so I cut it in half! So to add to name of what I said the next chapter will be called, I'm putting in 'Pt. 1' and so on and so forth. Don't worry, for those who are committed Itachi and Sasuke fans, but the torture will only last for two chapters. This one and the next one. I'm starting to get a little stuck on part 2 anyway… So in the mean time, read this chapter, and you guys can scream and rant at me later about how Itachi's romance is going on with another guy. Hehe…**

**I DO NOT OWN any of the Naruto characters, or the story itself. That belongs to the cruel hands of Kishimoto… I swear if he doesn't help Sasuke or Itachi soon, I'm gonna go on a bloody massacre! Anyway, thank you for those who have reviewed and please keep them coming. They inspire me to write more everyday! Thank you and enjoy!**

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Ch. 14: Memories of a Loved One Pt 1

_**Memory One: We Meet**_

_**Huff, huff**_

_**Huff, huff, huff**_

_With each passing step Itachi takes through the dark forest, the more he pants than the step before. His whole body hurts from battle. He was able to fight off every hunter that attacked him and his group but it cost the lives of his comrades and now he is all that remains of that battle. He needs to sit down and rest but he's lost too much blood and if he can't find a place soon, then the sun will come out and he will be burned to a crisp. He has to keep moving and find some shade. Then if he's lucky, he might find something small to at least help him gather a little strength for a bear or something bigger in the forest. But all he sees is trees and the sky gets lighter and lighter with each slow, agonizing step he takes._

'_**Damn it,'**__ he curses. __**'They not only took us by surprise but we underestimated the enemy. How could those humans be so strong when the Kaguya clan is known to have a disease pass down the family line? Anyone would think they would be easy prey, even myself. Now look at me.'**__ Itachi stops to catch his breath as he leans his side on the tree. Sweat mixed with the blood of his companions and his own drip down his face. The wounds on his body bleed more and he can feel his strength slipping away. __**'I…I must…I have to…'**__ Itachi takes one more step, pushing his aching body further but all that does is cause him to fall to the ground, unable to hold himself up any longer. On the ground, Itachi tries again to push himself up but his body won't respond to his will. He can't move and he's on the verge of death. He could feel his conscious slipping away. Darkness begins to cloud his sight and for one last moment before he completely lost consciousness, his mind plays tricks on him and he could see his little brother smiling at him and his laughing ringing in his ears. __**'…Sasuke…'**_

_Then Itachi passes out as the sun begins to rise overhead._

_When the vampire heir woke up, the only light he sees is the one besides him and he can feel the fiery heat from it._

'_**Wh…Where am…I?'**__ he wonders, noticing that above him is a wooden ceiling instead of the leaves and branches of the trees and a brighten sky full of sunlight that should have cooked him._

_Hearing a crackle, Itachi looks to the side and he sees a fire burning in the middle of the room he's in. He stares at the fire dancing in the fire place in the middle of the room before allowing his brain to connect with the rest of his body. He still feels weak but not as weak as he was before and there are still parts of him that are sore from battle, but he's better compared to how he was in the forest. But there is one thing that over powers all of his physical pain, the thirst in his neck. Besides that, he can feel soft cushions under him and that surprises him. Itachi pushes himself up and he looks down to see that he's lying on soft bed mat with a pillow and there's a blanket over him. But he notices not just that. He notices that even though he still has his battle suit on, which is long pants with a sleeveless shirt with a high collar and an armor suit on his chest and arms, his body is clean from the blood he had earlier and some of his wounds that haven't healed yet are wrapped in bandages. If he were wondering on what happened to his pack of weapons that were on his side and his sword that was on his back, all he has to do is look to the side of the room he's in and it's leaning on the wall not far from him._

"_So you're finally awake?"_

_Hearing that unknown voice instantly made Itachi very cautious. He sharply turns around to where he heard that voice from and several feet away, near a curtain covered window, is a teenager who appears not that much older than how Itachi looks now. From how the room is constructed, it is pretty simple with a large space, a fire place in the center of it all, a door and two windows. As Itachi is at the back of the room since he's by the fireplace, this teenage boy he sees before him is at the front of room, being under one of the windows, the one that's nearest to the door. Good place if he wishes to make a quick getaway or he's on guard duty, which Itachi suspect he is._

_This teenager here, he appears to be 15 or a year older but Itachi must admit that he is the one of the most unique looking person the vampire prince has ever met. His hair is brown, resembling that most of milk chocolate and it's curly. It's short and it makes his hair look more like waves like he just flew in from somewhere miles away. He appears to be on the masculine side for he has a strong build and hard muscles visible on his shoulders, arms, and chest. His skin is a little tan. It's not too dark but it's darker than Itachi's that's for sure. He has a rather broad, square chin but in a way, it makes him appear handsome and mature. But looking into his sharp, crimson red eyes, the teenager doesn't look that mature. His eye interest Itachi the most. If he wanted to, this teenager could appear very intimidating if he glares for his eyes almost look like that of a demon's and with his eyes being naturally red like that, he could be mistaken for a vampire. The vampire prince right now is trying to determine if this older looking boy before him is vampire or not and more importantly, is he a threat._

"_Who are?" he asks, raising his guard up a little higher in case of an attack. But all the boy does is wave and smile without a care in the world._

"_The name's Shisui," he answers. "Don't ask for my surname because I have no idea what it is."_

_Well that's interesting. He's an orphan with no memory of his family or where he came from and yet he says it with such a happy smile on his face. What a strange person he is… Looking him over one more time, Itachi sees that even though his skin is a light tan, he's too dark to be considered vampire. Which means…_

"_You're human…"_

"_And you're a vampire. What else is obvious?"_

_What the? Did he just?_

_Itachi didn't have anything really to say to this sarcastic behavior, especially when this human's red eyes are big and wide like a child's. The prince wouldn't lose his temper over anything so small, or not at all, but his blood consumption is low from the earlier attack and he just woke up with a rather sore body. That and somehow this human activated a certain pull in Itachi's guts that's giving off the big impression that this human is talking down at him. The vampire prince does not have the time for any impudence._

_Still, he keeps his cool as he asks, "If you know what I am, why did you save me?"_

_The prince didn't mean to sound that cold, or maybe he did, but it was all from under the lines of trying to survive and he does not want to risk another surprise attack. He's weakened enough as it is and one more attack like that and he will most certainly be doomed. However, this human doesn't appear to belong to the Kaguya clan and he is surely not a vampire so what does this human hope to gain from saving Itachi?_

_But all Shisui says is, "Oh trust me. I didn't save you for your sake. I saved you for mine. I've seen a vampire in sunlight before and it is __not__ a pretty sight. I have no intentions of seeing that again. So I covered you up and brought you here."_

_So no real reason besides his own, huh? Interesting but nothing special. Since this human promises to be no real threat to him, Itachi pulls the covers off and stands up. He stumbles a bit from lack of strength, but nothing a little blood can't cure. He just has to find an animal or something to feed on because there is no way Itachi is going to bite this human, especially not after he just saved his life no matter how selfish the reason may be._

"_Well, human, you have my thanks," he says, keeping his ground. When he moved, Shisui watches him intensively and as if ready to spring up and help the vampire prince should he so collapse. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be off." Itachi notices the rest of his stuff at the side and walks over to reattach everything before he goes._

_As he does that, Shisui looks a bit skeptical before shyly grinning and saying, "I wouldn't be moving any time soon if I were you."_

_Itachi thought that Shisui was refereeing to his body so he assures, "I will be fine. My body has recuperated enough strength to move."_

"_I wasn't talking about that." Before Itachi could ask, he sees a second light entering the room and when he looks up to see what it is, he sees Shisui holding the curtain up and allowing sunlight to come pouring into the room. In reaction, Itachi goes into danger mood and kneels down as if like an animal as he backs away to the darkest corner of the room. Then he lets out a loud hiss, baring his vampire fangs and his once satin eyes glowing red. A rather threatening pose and if any normal person were to see him now, they would run as fast as they can like a bat out of hell if they hope to survive. However, Shisui doesn't appear at all scared. Only fascinated. "Wow, you hiss like a cat." Itachi growls at him for that, his deadly glare intensifying. But once again the human teenager doesn't appear affected by his threatening stance or gaze and just drops the curtains to hide the light. "It's still mid-day so I suggest you stay in here until sunset. Don't worry I don't live with anyone so it's just you and me in this old shack for the time being."_

_Who the heck is this human? Is he so stupid to think that he can tell a __vampire__ what to do? Who's the imperial race here? And who's the one who looks ready to pounce on the next person or object that moves? But still, he did save Itachi but that must really mean that he's really stupid._

"_Why did you save me?" Itachi asks, his voice deep, harsh, and alert as he also calms down his stance a little bit. VERY little._

_Shisui looks at him in confusion as if he's the stupid one here. "I thought I already told you the reason."_

_So it truly is for the only reason of saving him the trouble of watching a vampire fry in the sunlight? Well now that's entertaining, in a very morbid way and it causes Itachi to let out a snicker. "Heh. You must not be a very smart human." If a simple glare won't scare this suspicious human then maybe a threat will. "You should have left me there to die and avert your eyes elsewhere if you did not wish to watch. Now that I know I can't go out and I am in dear need of blood, the only thing in here for me to feed off is you."_

"_And that is why I'm staying at the window. If you even try to attack me, I'll pull the curtains up like this…" Shisui grasps the curtains again and lifts them up to let in some light and Itachi flinches and hides away deeper in the darkness, hissing at him. "…and you'll back off. I'm not as stupid as I look. Besides, I already have something you could feed off on." This caught Itachi by surprise. Shisui drops the curtains before going to his side to reveal a tied up, live, frigid rabbit. "I was going to kill it when I saw you and since I already decided to save you, I kept the rabbit alive, seeing how much you were bleeding and all. I also figured you might be thirsty." He tosses the frightened rabbit to the vampire prince and it lands a few ways away from the now surprise and confused vampire. "But if you prefer human blood, I guess I can cut my wrist and let you suck from that. Just don't bite me."_

_Itachi first looks at the terrified creature before him before looking back up the human, still distrust in his eyes despite his confusion on the human's charitable behavior. "If I say yes to your generous offer, what makes you believe I wouldn't decide to drain your dry?"_

"_You don't look like the kind of person to do that."_

_Huh?_

_Now this really took Itachi off guard, so much so that he nearly dropped his guard complete. Seeing this reaction, Shisui grins in approval of his words. He hit the mark perfectly. "They say that I can tell what kind a person is just by having a brief conversation with them and from what I've learned, the only reason why you're making yourself sound like a deadly predator is because you've been raised to act like one. But that's not your true self is it? You seem more like a kinder, gentler soul than that. You just want to know my reaction and figure out why a human like me, who can easily die within a second of staying in the same room as a vampire, would go so far as save your life, treat your wounds, and feed you. I have you all figured out."_

_The whole speech without the last sentence would have been fine. But with that last sentence, Itachi's getting the impression that this human is getting cocky with him. Like he's going to stand for such attitude. "You don't know me," he says, glaring at him again._

"_But I would like to."_

_And the human has done it again with a genuine smile on his face to back it up. That smile…Seeing that smile confuses Itachi all the more. This human is so…different than the terrified or hateful ones that the prince has known his whole life. He has never met a human who could be so accepting and so friendly to a far more deadlier race. All the vampire heir could do was stare at this strange human before him that holds no fear or hatred in his naturally red eyes._

_Itachi then looks away from him, not wanting to see that smile anymore, and he grabs the rabbit. "The rabbit is fine."_

"_Then before you bite it, let me leave." Itachi looks back at him with a raise brow and he sees Shisui standing up and dusting off his legs. Does blood or gore really bother him that much? He says, "I'm gonna go fishing and come back. I still gotta worry about my own hunger you know. Since we're in the middle of the forest and there's no one around, you should be fine." Then he puts on a goofy smile and says, "Sorry. I know that it's your method of survive to consume blood and all but blood really makes me queasy." Well that explains it. Shisui waves at him and says, "See ya!" Then he's out the shack, trying not to open the door too much to keep most of the light out and Itachi just watches him leave._

_Shisui didn't take very long. He came back, dripping wet and with several large fishes for him to eat. By then, Itachi already drained the rabbit dry, killing it, and he was trying to burn the corpse in the fire. It made Shisui drop his fish and go outside to vomit because of the smell._

"_What the heck are you doing?" Shisui asks, coming back after emptying his stomach._

_Itachi was poking at the burning rabbit corpse in the fire with a stick as he answers, "You said that blood made you queasy so I could imagine what a dead body would look to you. I was trying to get rid of it."_

_But Shisui tells him, "I may have said that blood made me queasy but I do skin my own rabbit and I eat meat so a dead body wouldn't be so bad." Hearing that made Itachi want to really slap himself out of stupidity. Damn it! Why can't he think straight and have figured that out? Was he that distracted when he was trying to figure out Shisui's true intentions for helping him?_

_Itachi looks away from him and says, "If you want to get rid of the smell, then open the windows or the door."_

"_Can't, remember? It's still light out and you're in here. It's alright. I can handle the smell till sundown and I already lost my appetite."_

_Hearing this causes Itachi to feel even more dim-witted than he already feels. That and a little guilt…Wait, hold on! Guilty? Since when has he ever felt guilty, especially to a total stranger he just meet several hours ago? This is really starting to drive him up the wall._

_But this human is thinking about Itachi before himself. He's not going to eat because of the smell and he won't open the windows or the door to air out the shack because sunlight could get in. Why would this human care so much about a vampire's well being when Itachi could easily kill him in a heartbeat?_

_After that, Shisui started to clean the fish he caught for later and Itachi just observed him doing it, not saying a word and not moving a muscle towards him. In his mind, he was still trying to calculate of why this human would help him. It confuses him greatly and he was trying to figure out other reasons besides the fact that Shisui doesn't like blood, he's not a slave, and he's not afraid of him. When Shisui notice that Itachi would be staring at him, the vampire prince would simply look away as if he wasn't watching him and every time, the human would smile as if Itachi was acting like a silly child. It's the same expression Itachi usually gives to Sasuke when he's acting silly. It was really starting to bother the vampire prince and by the time that the day was coming to an end, he still couldn't figure Shisui out._

"_The sun's setting," Shisui notes, taking a small peek outside. Out there, the sun is already half way down pass the mountains and the trees. There's very little light out but still, there's light out and in Itachi's condition, maybe it's a little soon. "I say wait a few more minutes and it should be safe for you to go out. You alright?"_

"_I'm fine," the prince answers. He already has all of his packs reattached to his side and his sword is strapped to his back. He stands up and walks to the door, saying, "That rabbit's blood was able to heal most of my wounds and I have enough strength to make it home."_

_Shisui has his eyes on him as he watches the vampire walks toward the door as if in a hurry. "Well if you're sure then."_

"_Farwell." And Itachi is out the door and out in the open. To him, outside isn't really that bright and he still feels not completely one hundred percent but if he doesn't return home soon, he knows three people who would get a panic attack over him; his parents and his little brother; especially his little brother. Sometimes, he wonders who the adult of his family was._

"_Hey! Hold on!"_

_Hearing Shisui calling him, Itachi, who is already several feet away from the shack, sees the human coming out and staring at him. What else does he want? "What?" he asks._

"_Well before you go, may I at least ask for your name? I would like to know who it is I saved in case I need to move to another land or what."_

_Like before, if he didn't say the last part, he would have been on Itachi's good side. But hearing this also insults the vampire. So this whole time the human had no idea who he was? Well that would explain why he wasn't terrified or even nervous because one completely wrong word or action and Itachi could have him killed, if not by him._

_Itachi tells him, as calmly as always, "You can rest assured that you may continue your life where you are now. You are in no danger. My name is Uchiha Itachi."_

_Shisui blinks a couple of times after he heard that. Then he looks as if he's progressing the name into his mind. "Uchiha Itachi? So I just saved a vampire royal. Good thing I do live here or I would be dead."_

_Okay now, Itachi really needs to leave. He already spent way too much, unnecessary time with this confusing person and he has other, more better, things to attend to. Facing the direction he was heading, he starts walking._

"_Itachi!"_

_Now what? And when did Itachi give him permission to use his first name like that without even saying 'prince' before his name or even '-sama', like the rest of the humans. As calmly as he can and trying to not reveal too much emotions, Itachi asks, "Yes?" which usually ends up his voice sounding very similar to that of a dead person._

"_Before you go…" Then all of his sudden, Shisui's smart-alic voice becomes gentle and almost sincere. "…can I at least ask you one more thing?"_

_It wasn't just Shisui's voice that took Itachi off by surprise. It was also his face. To Itachi, it felt like this human was teasing him and it was his peculiar behavior that distracted the prince from knowing that this human is simply being nice. But now, as his natural crimson eyes stare deep into Itachi's onyx ones does he feel like he's noticing that fact. This human that only looks older than him is actually a very caring man who values all life, human or vampire._

"_Are you a boy or a girl?"_

_Scratch that. Never mind!_

_Itachi literally has some hair sticking out and he's practically frozen with disbelief. "What?" he asks, wanting to confirm what he just heard._

_Then Shisui drops the sincere act and goes back to his simple-minded behavior by explaining, "Well it's been bothering me all day and there weren't any wounds to the chest, besides your stomach and your arms so I couldn't tell what you were. You definitely do not act like the girls I've ever known but you look really feminine. So either you're a boy that was blessed with a woman's looks or you're a girl with a flat chest and a spunky attitude."_

_Now Itachi's patience has just completely drained from him at an incredible rate. It was like his patience level just went from a seventy-five to a fourteen. It's out of character for him but this human is making him feel he really needs to kill something or he might go insane and thankfully, Shisui is right here. Which he would usually never do because he hates killing something that has done nothing mortally wrong. Does insulting the vampire prince count? Feeling like this is very new to him but at the same time, it feels natural to feel like this. Trying to surpass the extreme need for blood-shed, he says as calmly as he can, "I'm a boy…" which only makes his voice sound very dead than it did the first time._

"_A boy, huh?" Shisui asks. He progresses the information into his head for a moment until he smiles again and says, "Well that's okay too. You certainly are one of a kind." The smile on his face is genuine, like the one before. It catches Itachi off guard again and he stares at it curiously. How can this human smile from the bottom of his heart in front of the vampire prince? "I live in a village not too far from here. This shack is just an abandoned building that was nearby so if you ever want to just swing by and say hi, look me up, alright?"_

_Say yes or no? The polite thing is to say 'yes' because then Itachi doesn't have to show that he wasn't grateful for Shisui for saving his life but he really doesn't want to come back here and see him again! No matter how intriguing this person maybe, Itachi is going to force himself to never be reminded of him again! But if he says 'yes' and doesn't see him, wouldn't that be the same as breaking a promise? He never breaks a promise. Never! Not to mention, what kind of an example will he be if he makes a promise to come back and doesn't keep it to his little brother?_

_Sasuke…_

_He really needs to get home before that kid dies before his time. Knowing his little brother, he can do some pretty outrageous stuff at times. But in order to get home, he needs to answer. So, say no…say no… say no… say no… say no… say…_

"_Alright…"_

_Hearing that answer, Shisui's face brightens up like a happy child and he waves. "Then see ya, Itachi."_

_And with that, Itachi leaves without returning the smile Shisui had on his face or even wave to say bye. He left without a word and second look._

_All the way home, Itachi was wondering of why the heck did he say 'yes' to that guy? All this one human practically did was insult him and spoke to him as if Itachi was the stupid one! He, the prodigy of the Uchiha royal vampire family, the most powerful families in all the lands, was being treated as if he were stupid. Maybe he can send a servant to secretly deliver a gift of gratitude and say that he can't visit Shisui because he is busy with prince duties or something. But besides the human problem, there is one thing Itachi is wondering on what to do._

_How to deal with a worried-to-death little brother?_

_When the prince finally arrives home, the first people to greet him, besides the castle guards, were his parents. They were near the front door when he entered and the first thing they did was 'attack' him with hugs, kisses from his mother, and comments of relief and praises thanking the Kyuubi that their son is alright and home at last. After reassuring them that he's fine, a small little voice cried out 'nii-san' and he looks over to see his little brother standing at the entrance to the hallway with a wooden sword in his hand and dirt and sweat all over his body. Sasuke must have been training somewhere and as soon as word hit that his older brother came home, he must have run over as fast as he could to get here. The boy was trying to live up to his vow and that brought an even brighter smile on the heir's face when he greeted him. Of course, Sasuke came running to him in tears and cling on to him as if he hasn't seen him in years. He screamed out his worries and like always, Itachi used simple words and warm touches of his hands to calm the hysterical boy. Sasuke stopped screaming but not his tears quite yet. He cried for hours while still clinging to his brother as if his own life depended on it._

_For several nights, Sasuke hasn't left Itachi's side. Rather it was eating, training, studying, or even sleeping, the little boy refused to leave his brother's side. As touching and cute as this may be, Itachi was able to convince Sasuke to let him have his privacy after two weeks. After all, now that he has one problem taken care of, Itachi has one more problem to deal with:_

_How to deal with the human known as Shisui?_

_**

* * *

**_

Memory Two: Can't Get You Out of My Mind

_It's been months since Itachi last saw Shisui and that cursed human hasn't left the young vampire's mind. When Itachi brought him up to the surface of his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about him and trying to figure out his true reasons, if he really had any. No, there __has__ to be a reason to why Shisui would go to such lengths for him. As the vampire heir was trying to distract himself with trying to train Sasuke in the art of using a sword and showing him a few tricks, Shisui wouldn't leave his mind and it was starting to make Itachi really frustrated._

'_**You cursed human!'**__ Itachi screams in his head. __**'Get out of my head!'**_

"_Nii-san?"_

_Hearing that small voice, Itachi gets out of his thoughts and looks down at his side to see Sasuke looking up at him with his big onyx eyes staring curiously at him with concern. "Are you alright? You seemed out of it since you came back."_

_Has he become that obvious that even his little brother noticed that he's troubled, or does Sasuke have a good eye?_

_Seeing this boy did surprise the older vampire. It's around the time that everyone should be in bed before the sun rises and since Shisui has been on Itachi's mind, he couldn't sleep. He hasn't been sleeping well in the past months since he's been back. He tried many things to help him sleep before the sun came up but nothing would help. He would have to wait for the drowsiness to take over but that would take hours to do and by the time he does try to sleep, he would notice that the sun will be directly overhead, noon. Itachi was just reading at his desk to try and get his mind off the man but the story he was reading had a main male character in it and the first face that popped into Itachi's head was Shisui's. That only made him all the more frustrated._

_To cease the boy's concern, Itachi smiles and pokes Sasuke's forehead with his fingers like always, causing the vampire boy to wince from the small jab. "I'm fine, otouto. I'm sorry if I worried you. But you shouldn't be up at this hour. If you want to become a strong warrior like you promise you would be, then you need your sleep."_

_Hearing this causes the boy to blush in embarrassment, almost like he's embarrassed to be caught staying up late because he's worried about his brother or he's embarrassed by that courageous vow he made. "I know, but…" he says, looking to the side since he's nervous with looking at his older brother in the eye. Or rather, he's embarrassed about his reason for being here. This little boy is just too sweet for words, and he's so innocent._

"_But what?" the heir asks, urging him to continue._

_Now Sasuke looks almost shamed to what he's going to say next. He keeps his eyes on the floor as his hand and rises up and grasps his throat. It took Itachi off guard as the boy mumbles, "My throat was burning so I couldn't sleep."_

_Around this time, Sasuke's awakening into a vampire hasn't been that long ago. It's been a good five or six months since then and for being that young, he would still need a lot of blood. Being awakened as a vampire is the same as being turned into a vampire, blood amount wise. You will need a large amount of blood at first and by that vampire's will, the amount of blood desired for the vampire body will either grow or lessen. Usually, stuff like this will take months but for Sasuke after only two weeks, his amount began to lessen. Itachi can't even remember the last time the boy drank his blood. His blood is the only blood that Sasuke will consume._

"_Of course."_

_Sasuke looks back at his brother and he sees older vampire smiling at him again. Itachi gets up from his desk and grasps the boy's hand to lead him to the older vampire's bed. He gets on first and helps the boy up before saying, "Go right ahead, koneko-chan." The younger vampire prince would have blushed at the nickname and at how his older brother said it but his eyes became fixated with his brother's neck. Itachi is already leaning his back to the wall and all Sasuke has to do is move a little closer and sit on his knees to achieve the same height. Once in reach and with one hand on the older vampire's shoulder and the other grasping Itachi's sleep shirt, Sasuke opens his mouth up wider and bites down on the ivory flesh. The vampire heir gasps for only a moment from the pain before letting out a shaky moan and relaxing completely and holding the boy closer in reaction._

_Oh god he missed this! This unexplainable pleasure from his little brother's bite cannot simply be compared to anything else! Itachi's mind has been so distracted lately with thoughts of Shisui that he almost forgotten how wonderful this feels._

_Shisui…_

_Even during this, the guy cannot just leave the poor prince alone! What does he have to do to get the human out of his head and done with?_

"_**This shack is just an abandoned building that was nearby so if you ever want to just swing by and say hi, look me up, alright?"**_

_Is that all he has to do? Visit the guy? One thing's for certain. The sooner that Itachi can get that human out of his mind, the sooner he can forget about him and move on! Even if that does mean visiting him. Maybe then Itachi can be free and be completely and willingly absorbed into his baby brother's bite. His promise will be fulfilled and he would return the favor for the human saving his life. With that resolve created, Sasuke released his brother's neck and licks away the remaining blood as the wound heals and disappears. Itachi mentally cursed in his head when he realizes that his brother stopped. Sasuke was still only inches from the teenager's neck so Itachi didn't see when the boy's eyes look up at him in concern and worry._

_Then he looks to the side, only to get his attention caught with what's outside the window._

"_Nii-san, what's that?"_

_Itachi first looks at the boy first to see what he's looking at before looking up at the window. When he sees what captured the boy's attention, he panicked. Rising up from the sea of forest in the brightened sky is a light but not just any light – sunlight. Before Sasuke knew it, Itachi pushes him off slightly, jumps off the bed, and pulls the curtains over the windows completely right before the sun could fully release its deadly rays on either of them._

_Damn it, he's really losing it to have forgotten to cover his windows completely to prevent any sunlight from getting in. He could have killed him and Sasuke both! Only goes to show on how much he needs to get this Shisui problem cleared!_

"_Nii-san?"_

_Itachi looks back at his little brother and now the boy looks scared. He must be worried that the usual calm and collected Itachi would just panic right before his eyes as if there were a bomb in the room. The way that Sasuke looks at him now, it would give anyone the impression that now the boy thinks his brother has gone insane. It really scared him, and what was that light he wondered._

_After a moment to collect himself, which includes several deep breathes and second to properly collect his thoughts, Itachi tells his baby brother, "Forgive me, otouto. I didn't mean to frighten you."_

"_But what was that light, nii-san?" Sasuke asks, pointing to the edge of the curtains. "It looks so…big!"_

_Itachi has always been over protective of him so this was the first time that the boy has even seen a peek of the sun's existence. His curiosity and his fascination with it is to be expected for someone to have never seen it before. "It is big, Sasuke. It's called the sun."_

_The younger vampire prince blinks in surprise of that answer as his older brother reproaches the bed and climbs on. Sasuke's eyes stayed on the him and he asks, "You mean the big orb in the sky that gives off sunlight that we need to avoid?"_

_Itachi sits in front of the curious boy and smiles at his behavior. He answers, "Yes, or we'll be burnt to a crisp."_

"_But it's so beautiful." Sasuke looks back at the window, as if looking directly at the sun pass the thick curtains to see it and he says, "The moon is pretty too but I wonder what'll be like to actually look up at the sun without getting burnt. I saw pictures of it and there are things called 'sunrises' and 'sunsets'."_

_Hearing this, all the teenage vampire could really do is chuckle. What a callow little brother he has. So innocent and so naïve. "Do you think they're beautiful too, little brother."_

"_Yep!" he answers immediately, looking back at Itachi. "One day, I want to see a real sunrise and a real sunset and I want to see it with nii-san! I want to see my first sunrise and my first sunset with the one I love most! Wouldn't that be cool? Maybe I should wish for it the next time we see shoot stars, nii-san! Would that be okay?"_

_His childish, impossible dream… What more can an older brother do when he hears such words from a young child's mouth other than smiling at his little dream and caressing the young boy's hair. Sasuke's cheeks turn a slight red from the strokes given his brother's warm hands and Itachi tells him, "Foolish little brother. As beautiful as the sun may seem, it doesn't change the fact that its light is deadly to our bodies."_

_Hearing this, Sasuke makes another one of his adorable, angry pouts he's so famous for. "Yeah, I know but I can dream, can't I?" So cute…_

"_Yes, you can." Itachi pulls his hand back and starts crawling up the bed to the pillows and the edge of his comforter and sheets. He pulls them up and tells Sasuke, "Now let's go to sleep, otouto. You may stay here for the day."_

_Hearing those words, the boy's whole face brightens up and he cheers, "Yeah!"_

_Sasuke always enjoys sleeping with Itachi. Every time he gets a nightmare or he wets the bed, he wouldn't go to his parents. He would always go to his nii-san and Itachi would always help him with his problem. Rather it's comforting him and speaking soft words of protection against all that threaten to scare the young boy or clean him up and changed into new sleep clothes. Sasuke feels no better protection or love than the ones he gets from Itachi. But as he's gotten older and no longer wets the bed or gets too frightened from nightmares, his visits to his brother has become less and less and he gets too embarrassed to simply ask to sleep with his brother out of pure desire. He wants to show that he's a big boy now, but Itachi wouldn't mind if the boy wanted to sleep with him. He would accept the little boy no matter how much he's matured or how old he's grown. Once under the covers, Sasuke cuddles to Itachi's chest and the vampire heir has one arm as a pillow for the Sasuke as the other hand is soothing the boy by rubbing his shoulders._

_As the boy tries to sleep, Itachi watches him a little longer before making his own attempt, again, to sleep. "Ne, nii-san?" Well that didn't take long. Sasuke looks up at his older brother and asks with hope filled eyes, "Tonight, can you help me on my double block?"_

_This time when Itachi smiles, his smile appears apologetic and he taps the boy's forehead one more time. "Forgive me, Sasuke. Maybe next time, okay?"_

"_Uh? But why?" he asks, confused._

_He answers, "I need to do something tonight and I don't know how long I'll be gone. I'll train you again once I've completely some unfinished business but I'll ask Kakashi if he can train you tonight, alright?"_

_Sasuke's onyx eyes sadden when he hears this. Not that he doesn't like Kakashi. That guy is like a second brother or like a second mentor to him. But the boy would rather have his brother train him. However, if it's just this once than he can let it go. He doesn't look back at Itachi but he does snuggle closer and barriers his face into the teenager's chest. "Okay…"_

_After that discussion, the boy goes to sleep in a matter of minutes. When he feels his breathing slowing to a calm pace, Itachi stares at the boy, gazing upon his beauty and taking it all in. He can stare at his baby brother all day and all night if given the choice. Sasuke has the most intriguing beauty anyone could possibly possess and being with him brings out a form of tranquility to the vampire heir. Only with Sasuke can Itachi feel fully at peace. Even now, he can feel himself getting sleepy after his mind was just bobbling over Shisui. But he can't have the boy stay the day in his room every day or people really are going to notice that something is wrong with him, regardless of how happy Sasuke might be to do that. Tonight, it'll all be over once and for all._

_**

* * *

**_

Memory Three: A First Kiss

_As planned, Itachi first looks for Kakashi to ask him for a favor and the masked vampire was more than pleased to train Sasuke for the night. It's a little early for the boy but since his brother is not going to train him, Itachi asked Kakashi if he could also introduce how to activate the hidden power within him. The hidden power is a power that every vampire has inside of them; born or turned. Awakening it usually takes a lot of training and stamina. Sasuke was the one who always told Itachi that it was cool he could manipulate fire and he always says that he couldn't wait to know what his hidden power is. The hidden power could either be a physical ability or a control over an element. Both Itachi and Kakashi are element controllers, Itachi the fire and Kakashi the lightning. Since the older vampire prince has noticed the boy's progress in the training, he figure that he might be ready to discover what his hidden power is. That and it'll distract Sasuke long enough for Itachi to go to Shisui and come back without him wondering when he's coming back._

_After the reassurance that Sasuke is going to have a good training session today, Itachi sneaks out of the castle and heads towards the old shack he had to stay in with Shisui when he was wounded. Sasuke is the only one who usually worries when Itachi is going out. Everyone else doesn't. Neither his parents, so long as they know that he'll come back to the castle before sunrise. They know that he can take care of himself so they trust him with a lot of freedom. Only when he's needed for battle do they wonder where he is._

_Before, Shisui said that his village wasn't far from the shack and it didn't take Itachi long at all to catch the smell of fire cooking dinner in a family home or hear the homey chatter of families and friends. He follows both senses and soon discovers a peaceful village of happy humans living their passive lives together. Seeing them like this was new to the vampire prince. All he's known is order, laws, and the mistreatment of the humans at his castle. In this village, about every villager is by far only happy to be alive. Rather they're rich or poor, it doesn't matter. In a way, it fascinated Itachi but at the same time, it made him feel uncomfortable to be out of his element in such a happy place._

_The vampire prince hides in the shadows of the village as he searches for Shisui. The sooner he finds the human and says hi, the sooner he can get out of here and hopefully never think about it again! It took him a while because of all the different smells and loud chatter disrupting his search but when he finally spots Shisui, Itachi sees him accompanying a village girl. From how it looks, the girl appears to have an infatuation with Shisui._

'_**So he has a lover?'**__ Itachi wonders, watching them. But from Shisui's expression, there appears to be a different story. Out of curiosity, and not wanting to leave and come back later just because the human was busy, Itachi continues to watch the guy who saved his existence in the shadows. Thanks to his vampire abilities, no one spotted him or even noticed his presence. It almost tempted the prince to just appear in front of them and wonder what their reaction will be. Would it be acceptance like how Shisui displayed or will it be total rejection and vampire exterminating weapons?_

_After hours of following the young couple, Itachi is then lead to an area on the outskirts of the village where there are some houses and from how it looks, Shisui is escorting his lover home. By then, Itachi is more than tempted to just go already. He can be patient but when he's only wasting his time as something as trivial as spying on a human's romantic affair, his patience can only go so far. Not to mention that spying on a date does not sound like him at all. Finally, Shisui and the girl stop in front of what appears to be the girl's house and they both faced each other to talk. Itachi had no choice but to listen._

"_Shisui-kun," the girl calls. "I had a wonderful time tonight. Did you enjoy yourself?"_

_Instead of answering that he did, Shisui has a rather guilty look on his face and apologetic, calculating eyes, like he's trying to form some kind of speech to say that he knows the girl isn't going to like to hear. His pause made the girl frown. "It's not that I didn't have a good time, Nuriko, but I'm afraid we should move on in our lives as friends."_

"_What?" she asks, shocked and at this moment, Itachi is the same way as her only without the distress starting to appear on her face. "But why? Was it something that I did wrong?"_

"_It wasn't you," he answers. "It's just that I don't see us working out."_

_Then Nuriko gets angry, "Is that the line you gave to the past five girls you've been seeing these past nights?"_

_Wait! Hold on! Did she just say 'girls'? As in Shisui has more than one lover or he's just not committed to one? Hearing this made Itachi look at the guy with disgust. Why would someone get a girl interested in him for only a short period of time and then just end it? It's like the guy toys with feelings and takes pleasure in crushing them the moment it reaches its highest point! And the guilt is just an act. Why would you bother waste your time with someone you know you're not going to last very long with? In the vampire community, the way that Itachi's been taught was that you don't take love lightly. You find someone who will support you and be there for you through thick and thin, someone who would never try to hurt you or leave you, someone who would be faithful to you and only you no matter what. So what is it with humans the constant seeing other people before breaking it off like it's nothing more than an annoying fling that happened?_

_If Itachi had any respect or any kind of feeling remotely similar to that, it's all gone now._

"_Nuriko, please," Shisui tries to plead the girl as way for him asking her to calm down. But the next thing that happens is Nuriko slapping him right across the face. It causes Itachi to blink and Nuriko glares daggers at the teenage boy in front of her._

"_Shisui, you idiot! You're nothing but a player!" Then she stomps her way to her home and slams the door shut once inside._

_Instead of looking guiltier, Shisui just lets out a sigh and then acts like nothing just happened. "Time to go home." Then he starts walking towards where Itachi should be._

_He's well hidden so he knows that Shisui won't see him when he walks by. In the mean time, the vampire prince is trying to remember why he came here to see the guy in the first place. The guy's not even worth his time right now after seeing that little show. So after making his decision, Itachi turns to the side and starts walking into the forest where he can have shelter and safe passage back to his home. The sun won't be up for another few hours so there is no rush. He can just walk home and take his time getting rid of these irritating feelings that caused him to come and see Shisui. But because Itachi moved and didn't wait till after Shisui passed, the human sees movement at the corner of his eyes and he sees the vampire prince walking off into the forest._

"_Itachi?" he calls, making sure he's not seeing things. The prince tenses up when he hears his name being called and it soon causes him to start fast walking his way into the forest. "Wait, hold on!" Shisui calls and then he starts running up to him to catch up. "Itachi, what are you doing here?"_

_Really not wanting to deal with him right now, Itachi's ice cold voice lashes out, "What am I doing here? That's all you can say?"_

_Well that was unexpected and it sure left Shisui in the cold pretty fast. "Uh, well… Hello?"_

"_Hello, human and goodnight!" Itachi quickens the pace and Shisui still tries to catch up with him._

"_Wait, hold on! Why are you here?" he asks._

"_You said I could visit so I did. I'm blithe to know you had a wonderful evening."_

_Unexpected thing number two. "Are you jealous?"_

_All of a sudden, now feeling extremely insulted to have been asked that, Itachi stops and sharply turns around to face the human who nearly crashes into him from the sudden stop. "Absolutely not!" he screams._

_Shisui blinks in complete surprise of hearing that. "Wow. I never thought you would scream like that. You have spunk but I noticed that you have class."_

_Hearing this brings Itachi back to reality and makes him notice that he's losing his temper all too easy for the wrong reasons. What the heck is wrong with him? He's never been like this before. Inhaling a very deep breath and exhaling it out to calm his nerves and to at least try and act civil, he says, "I'm sorry. But I only came because you said I could visit. So here I am."_

"_After several months? I must not be worth remembering if you only decide to come visit me now."_

_Forget being civil. Itachi's had it and Shisui here is making him feel like an idiot again._

"_I don't know why I'm doing this. You've been stuck in my head for the past several months and nothing I could do could get you out of my head. Do you have any idea how many hours of sleep I missed because of you? I'm losing my temper now because of you. And now you listen to me and you listen good." He roughly grabs Shisui's collar with extreme grace despite his incredible strength and speed and pulls him close to tower over him and appear threatening and to be taken serious. His voice still nothing but ice and his expression dangerously blank. "After tonight, I am NEVER coming to visit. I only came to repay my dept and now that I have, I can move on." He drops the human by pushing him to the ground and then sharply turning away, not wanting to see Shisui's face right now. "Now if you don't mind, I'm leaving. Goodnight, human and farewell."_

_**Grasp**_

_Itachi didn't expect to feel Shisui's hand on his wrist, nor did he expect to feel a slight pull so that the human could stand up. The rest was something he wasn't sure happened until everything around him stopped. The hand must have stunned him. Shisui may have wrapped his wounds up before but Itachi was never conscious to know how Shisui's touch would feel. When his hand grabbed him, it most defiantly took him by surprise and that was why Shisui had the chance to turn Itachi around and then press his lips against Itachi's. For the vampire prince who has always felt ice cold touches, the feel of warmth that first affected his wrist is now on his shoulder where Shisui's other hand is to hold him and on his lips. Itachi's eyes are wider than entrée places and his mind becomes a total blank._

_What…the…_

"_Unhand me!" Itachi with his free hand, since the other is still in Shisui's grasp, pushes Shisui off him and as the human hits a tree, Itachi has his hand over his lips._

"_Ow…" Shisui whines, rubbing his now sore back. "You know, that really hurt."_

_There other things to worry about than his back at this moment! What happened just now was Itachi's first kiss, something that he has never experienced before. Sure there were family kisses but this one is entirely different than that! This one was full of passion and desperation and something the Uchiha prodigy in all of his blood-soaked existence has never experienced before. He was surely in shock. He doesn't know if it's because humans are warm blooded or what but his lips felt really warm when Shisui touched them and they still have traces of that warmth as if they're on fire. He didn't understand any of it and better yet, he has no idea why Shisui did that. He felt like a robot that was just splashed with water and cannot recuperate as fast as he could before._

"_Wh-Why..why did you…?"_

"_Because I couldn't get you out of my mind either." Now Itachi is really in shock. After that confession, he sees definitely the most sincere look on Shisui's face that he has ever seen so far. The way his eyes appear so gentle and yet to confident when he looks at him and the way that his lips curl up into a half smile. Suddenly, Itachi feels like he can't breathe when he looks at him. "As I said before, you are not like anyone I have ever met. You got spunk and when you're trying to figure something out, you're adorable. I wasn't totally honest with you when I told you the reason why I saved you. I saved you that day because from the moment I saw you, you were the most beautiful creature I have ever laid my eyes on. I didn't want such a pretty thing to die so I saved you. Even now, all shocked and confused, you're still beautiful. I don't know why but I feel drawn to you. Did you hypnotize me or something?"_

_Itachi became so caught up and so intensive on listening to Shisui's words that he didn't notice the human standing right in front of him and for looking so much older, Itachi had to look up to see his face. Though after his speech and his question, the vampire prince tries to avert his gaze to something else more interesting and distracting. Like the floor beneath his feet with stones, fallen leaves, and dirt._

"_Wh..Why…" Great. Itachi is stuttering. Since when does he ever stutter? "Why would I want to hypnotize an annoying human like you? You have been nothing but a nuisance since the day I met you."_

_Shisui's chuckles when he hears this. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you Itachi? Keeps me interested." He got a slight glare from that but he just smiles away. Then his face became sincere again. "May I ask one thing before you can cut off my head?"_

"_Wh-What?"_

"_Can I kiss you again?" Itachi looks at him fully with no glare. Just wide eyes and a slight open mouth. "There is something I want to confirm."_

_The way that his crimson eyes are looking directly into Itachi's, it was like he instantly became under a spell he can't break from. But for a mere second, he didn't want to. He doesn't want to confirm something, especially not this kind of something. But at the same time, he does. He too wants to confirm that warmth he felt when Shisui kissed him so he nods his head._

"_Sure."_

_Shisui smiles at him one more time before leaning closer to his face and planting a chaste kiss on Itachi's pale lips. And there is was. That warmth that Itachi felt the first time but only this time more deep with feeling and a sort of adrenaline that's making the vampire prince close his eyes and take it all in. Right there and then as the kiss lasted longer than the first one, something has been confirmed. This kiss is sweet and warm and Itachi…he likes it. It was over too quick._

_Shisui slowly pulls away and his eyes slightly open to look at the boy in front of him. Itachi still has his eyes closed, making the moment last just a little longer before opening his eyes to look at the fascinating and unique human before him. Seeing the hazy gentleness in his onyx eyes, Shisui grins. "How does that make you feel?"_

"_I don't know," he answers, his voice sounding barely a whisper. "I've never been kissed before. It was…" The ground became fascinating to him again and his hand rises up to gently press his fingertips against his still warm lips. "…something."_

"_I hope that something is a good thing because I sure enjoyed it." Itachi looks back at his face and Shisui has that goofy smile on this time. "You truly are the most unique person I have ever met, boy or girl."_

_It only felt right to answer back. Especially when Itachi feels like his brain is still not functioning like how it's supposed to. "You're an..interesting human, Shisui. I've never met anyone like you."_

"_I'm glad." Then he kisses Itachi again and the vampire heir creates no struggle against it. He only accepts it fully to savor this inexplicable feeling of being kissed. At least there was one thing the vampire prince was sure of. If this is how you're kissed romantically, he is more than willing to allow Shisui be his teacher._

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Congratulations for those that have survive. I completely understand if this is irritating the hell out of you. If I was reading this, so would I. But remember! This is an ItaSasu story. Some ItaSasu moments will come but that's later. But tell me how it went. Was it good? Bad? Criticism is always welcomed! Let me know how it went okay? Till next time! You only have to relive this torture another chapter more and then done! Bye-bye!


	15. Memories of a Loved One Pt 2

**A/N: You guys are amazing! I never thought that the next chapter was going to be so popular. I thought that you guys wouldn't like it since it's about Itachi's love being directed to someone else besides Sasuke. But instead, you guys seem to like it. Wow. That's all I can say to that. In the mean time, this chapter is when things start to go downhill. The first half was the upper and now this is the downer. Maybe you guys won't like this one. –shrugs- I'm just happy that you guys like my story at all.**

**I DO NOT OWN any of the Naruto characters or the story itself. You guys would know what I would do if I did…Sasuke…Itachi… Anyway! Thank you for those that have reviewed and please keep them coming. I love every single one of them and everyone of them inspires me! Criticism, questions, and trying-to-figure-out-what'll-happen-next babble is welcomed! Thank you and enjoy!**

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Ch. 15: Memories of a Loved One Pt 2

_**Memory Four: Not Yet**_

"_Sasuke-sama! Sasuke-sama! Please come out."_

"_No!"_

_Being answered so harshly, the vampire maid becomes dishearten and then worried. What on earth is wrong with her young master? "Uh…"_

"_What's going on?"_

_Hearing that confused and yet velvety smooth voice, the maid nearly jumps from the sudden sound of it and turns to the side to see Itachi looking at her in wondering why she's in front of Sasuke's room."Oh, Itachi-sama!" she cries, grateful to see him. So grateful in fact that her fear of the superior, elder vampire prince is forgotten, but not the fact that she knows no one else who can get through to the younger prince but his brother. "Please, you're the only one who can get him out. Sasuke-sama hasn't been coming out of his room for the past week and if he doesn't drink some blood soon, I fear he'll starve."_

"_I don't WANT to drink that human blood! It's vulgar!" they hear Sasuke screaming from the other side of the door. This is surely a surprise to Itachi._

_It's been over two months since Itachi and Shisui kissed and to the vampire prince, it's been bliss. He promised to come sneaking out of the castle to visit his human beloved and they would meet at the shack where they first officially met. But Itachi didn't come to him every night. He had to lower suspicion of what he's been doing sneaking off in the middle of the night and not returning till nearly dawn. If anyone were to find out that he's been seeing a human that either hasn't been killed, devoured, or turned, it would mean trouble to both him and his love. Another law of the vampire society is that you are not to mate with a human. You are to mate with a vampire and if you wish to mate with a human, that human must be turned first or suffer the consequences. Not to forget that Itachi is royalty and Shisui is a commoner, not the most acceptable pairing in their world and Itachi refuses to turn Shisui into a cold, heartless killer that he himself is. So the vampire prince's been seeing his human lover at least four times a week. Five times if he gets lucky. But during those four times, he hasn't been training Sasuke. In fact, his training duty seems to have fallen on Kakashi and Itachi hasn't been seeing his brother much of late. Not that he's ignoring his little brother. He's just been busy lately, going down this path of this secret love with Shisui. Kakashi doesn't seem to mind training the boy, but it never occurred to anyone how Sasuke would feel about this._

_Now that Itachi realizes this, he hasn't been feeding his baby brother and Sasuke's bloodthirsty hunger happens at least once every week or two. He hasn't been donating his blood to Sasuke for the past eight weeks._

_Itachi approaches the door and first tries to open the door. It's lock. Then he tries knocking. "Sasuke, it's me. Won't you let me in?" he asks._

"_No! Especially not you!"_

_What the? Never before has Itachi ever received such a response like this from the boy. The young vampire prince would always speak so cheery and sweet when talking to him. But his answer right now was pure anger and unfriendly on so many levels. It sets the older prince off that it actually causes him to knock harder._

"_Sasuke, what's gotten into you? Come on now. Open this door!" he demands a little harsher._

_But then Sasuke screams, "No! Leave me the fuck alone, nii-san! I don't want to talk to you!"_

_The young boy just swore and he said he didn't want to talk to his older brother? If anyone who knew the complete depth of their close relationship, they would all be in gaping shock right now and wonder if Sasuke is sick or something. Itachi is the last person anyone would ever expect the boy to swear at, let alone be so cold to. Hearing those words, Itachi suddenly feels like something just jabbed him in the heart and twisted the blade. Like before, someone just splashed water on the robot but this time, it feels like someone shut the power off for the first time ever. Itachi had no idea what to do as he feels like something inside him is missing. Something important…_

"_We've tried everything, Itachi-sama," the maid said, not seeing the complete and utter shock the vampire heir is in right now. "But we can't get him out."_

"_I'm surprised. He's never this upset," he breathes, trying to say something to assure the maid that he's 'here'. As he forces the wheels in his brain to turn in his head, he looks at the maid and he has the deadest look the maid has ever seen him put on when talking to servants. He assures her, "But I'm sure that it won't last for long. He'll come out eventually. When he does, tell him to meet me in the garden. I need to speak with him."_

"_Are you going out again, Itachi-sama?"_

_Everyone knows that the prince goes out quite often during the week. They just don't know where and don't question it if they want to keep working in the castle, let alone staying alive._

"_Yes. But I'll be back shortly."_

"_So your time here is only brief?" Shisui asks his distressed lover sitting on the large boulder not far from the shack besides him. Itachi doesn't even look up at him with his forehead pressed against his knees as they're folded in front of his chest. This is the position of Itachi stressed._

"_Forgive me, but I know my little brother like the back of my hand. He can be impossible at times, but he won't disobey. He's not defiant like most kids his age."_

"_Vampire age wise, right?"_

"_Yes. Human children at the age of fourteen are not as childish as he usually is."_

"_Heh, heh, you're right. Sorry." And Shisui continues to let that friendly, light-hearted chuckle ring throughout the night. At the sound of it, the vampire prince looks up and becomes once again intrigue with how this human affects him so. He feels lighter than how he did when his brother told him to fuck off. Now he feels bad for looking so depressed when he came and having to cut the time they both have together. He looks down again but this time he doesn't hid his face behind his legs. He just looks to the side._

"_It's alright," he mumbles softly._

_Shisui stopped chuckling a while ago and as he looks at his lover now, a genuine smile graces his lips. He can see how confused and worried the vampire besides him looks. "You must really care about your little brother to look this concern about his new behavior."_

_Itachi brushes his hand through his hair, or his bangs since his hair is in his usual low pony tail, and he lets out a distress sigh. "I honestly don't know what's wrong with him and it worries me. Sasuke is like…out of this dark, cruel world we were born in, he was born with an innocence no one can ever hope to achieve; vampire or human. Like many young children, he believes that the adult world is a place of wonder and magic like those in the fairy tales mother or I used to read to him. However, he's entering that world all too quickly and I believe it was starting to scare him at first. I still remember when he started to mature, he was afraid to drink the blood of a human because he was afraid the taste of it would be too much for him and he wouldn't be able to control himself. But he has excellent control over that side of him. Not even I had that good of control over my blood lust. Knowing that, he gained back that incessant fascination with that world. But this world is not full of magic and wonder and I want to protect him from that before he loses the innocence I've come to love so much. He is everything I'm not and despite his desires to be like me, I refuse for him to be anything of the sort." Then a hand grasps his, the one in his hair. He looks at Shisui, since he's the only other person who could grab his hand, and the human leans closer to him till their foreheads are leaning against the other. Itachi felt lost and comforted when he sees those red eyes stare deep into his._

"_Well I'm sure that whatever is going on with your brother right now, and even if it does have something to do with you, you guys will patch it up and move on," he says, consoling the distress vampire. "You speak so fondly of him and hearing how close you two are, unlike most siblings I've met, I'm sure you two won't hold grudges against each other for very long. You two care about each other too much to not forgive the other. Trust me, he'll be all smiles before you know it."_

_Feeling that first-timer nervousness, Itachi first looks down at the ground and mumbles, "Thank you, Shisui."_

_Then Shisui's hand releases his and pushes some of the vampire's bangs to the side behind his ear. He gains Itachi's attention back and then he kisses him. Showing no resistance, Itachi melts under the kiss and returns the affection. Shisui's hands travel down his body till they reach his waist and wrap around him, bringing him closer to deepen the kiss only slightly. Deepening the kiss set something off within Itachi. Rather it became purely desire or for a way for the vampire prince to relieve himself of this empty stress, it doesn't change the fact that Itachi wants more than just simple kisses this time. His hands cup Shisui's face and pulls him closer. He even breaks the kiss so that his tongue could force his lover's mouth open a little wider before darting in. Shisui becomes extremely surprise by the vampire's heir's eagerness and stops the kiss right there before it goes too far._

"_Whoa, whoa there Itachi. Aren't you're getting a little too ahead of yourself here?" he asks, looking into those hazy, lustful onyx eyes._

_But then Itachi pleads, his voice as soft as a whisper and full of desire, "Shisui, please, take me. Make me yours." He leans in for another kiss but Shisui holds him where he is and the prince becomes confused. Did he do something wrong?_

_Instead of giving him a rather hard, stern face, Shisui smiles at him like he's acting naively and says, "Not yet. Believe me, I want to. I want to be with you forever but the rules say that you must be of age to mate and you haven't hit that age yet. You got two more vampire years, right? And I'm a human. The rules say that you can't mate with a human, remember?"_

"_I am the next heir to the vampire throne," Itachi tries to tell him. "I can change it. I do not wish to destroy your soul to bring it into this dark, black world of mine."_

"_How long, I wonder, will that be before you can change the rules without any trouble?" He got Itachi there. Itachi pulls back, a slight trace of defeat on his beautiful features and that only causes Shisui to smile more warm-heartedly this time. He even cups the prince's face as he softly says with care and love, "Just be patient, Itachi. One day, when you are of age and either you do change the rules or I am a vampire, you and I will be together as one."_

_Hearing the truth of his words, Itachi nods, knowing that what Shisui said was true. "Yes." Shisui then kisses his lover's forehead before pulling him close to his chest. Engulfed and drunk on his warmth, Itachi leans against his chest in total ease. It always makes him wonder on how Shisui does it. Just a few simple words and his warm embrace and the vampire prince feels comforted and at ease._

"_Hey, can I tell you something?" Shisui asks, suddenly._

"_Hm? What is it?"_

"_Even though I just gave a really cool speech just now, I must admit that I don't believe in this whole 'one mate' thing."_

_Well that took Itachi off by surprise. He pushes himself away only slightly so that he could look up at Shisui in the face. "Why is that?" he asks._

_The human explains, "Well, it kind of only limits a vampire to have only one soul mate for the rest of their existence, right? Only one person in this whole world that makes the other feel complete and is willing to love only that person for as long as they are on this earth. As romantic as it sounds, what if that person isn't your true love? What if you mated with the one person and as soon as you realize this, you can't mate with your true love because you already mated with someone else? And not only that. Say if you do find your one and only love and you're absolutely sure that person is meant to be with you, what if that person dies in battle or wasn't able to live past baby years? If you ask me, that's pretty depressing. If it were up to me, I would say don't give yourself up too soon. Like don't instantly mate with someone the moment you feel this fire of true love inside you. It's like making a fast and reckless decision as soon as it was given. I guess it's hard to explain, but why not make sure that person you think you're in love with is the person you will love for the rest of their lives before fully giving yourself to them? Otherwise, if that person dies before you do, then you'll be sad. What if that person who dies wants their mate to be happy with another after they die?"_

_Itachi couldn't believe what he's hearing. Never has he ever heard someone question how vampire searches and discovers their mates. It bewilders him that even Shisui of all people would question it. "There can be distractions," he answers, really not liking where Shisui is getting at._

"_Anything can happen, love. If I were to die, I would want you to find someone you know will last and will never leave you no matter what. Would you want the same for me if you were to die?"_

"_I won't be killed so easily." Then Shisui gives him 'let's be serious, please' look. In a way, he's right. If you truly love someone, you would want nothing more than that person's happiness; even if that happiness isn't with you. That's what real love is and if Itachi doesn't want Shisui to be happy with another person, then that's just selfish and possessive. He's not selfish and possessive, right? So he answers, "I suppose."_

_Hearing what he likes to hear, Shisui leans Itachi's head back on his shoulder and holds the boy even closer in a loving embrace. "Good boy. I really do you know. I really do love you, Itachi and I will never betray you."_

"_And I love you. I love you too, Shisui forever."_

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Memory Five: Calling For You

'_**Where is that boy?'**__ Itachi wonders, tapping his foot the grass. Right now, he's standing under the tall willow tree, the one that Sasuke fell off of one time, and he's starting to lose his patience. He told Sasuke to meet him in the garden two days ago and no once has the boy come to meet him! Not only was it making the vampire prince impatient, it made him even more worried about his little brother's sudden new behavior and his unexplainable anger towards him._

"_You must be losing your touch, aniki, if you haven't sensed me yet."_

_Well that took him by surprise. Itachi backs away from the willow tree and looks up to see Sasuke sitting on one of the branches - looking at him with cold, narrow eyes, his arms crossed in front of his chest, and his back leaning against the trunk. Since when did he get up there? Itachi's been here shortly after he woke up and it wasn't that long after the sun set._

"_Sasuke, how did you get up there without me knowing?" he asks, confused._

_Unlike the usually happy, cheery voice Sasuke would use with him, the younger vampire sounds cold as he answers, "As I said, you must be losing your touch or I'm just getting better at sneaking around. But of course, you would know that if you've been training me instead of Kakashi." Hearing that sent guilty shivers through Itachi's body. So he's upset about that?_

_The surprising part of this whole thing is that Sasuke is able to leave people in the snowstorm, just like his brother. The really surprising part is that he's even able to do that to Itachi of all people! The Ice King!_

_The vampire heir tries to relax his nerves before trying to explain, "I've been busy, Sasuke. I would think you would understand that. Haven't you grown up at all?" He had to yell the last part since he has to raise his voice in order for his brother to hear him._

_Sasuke's glare sharpens and he asks, "Is that why you wanted to speak to me? To give me a lecture?"_

_Hail was just added to the storm._

"_No, that's not…" __**'How come all of a sudden I'm so frustrated?'**__ Itachi wonders before he starts losing his cool again. He takes in a deep breath and yells, "Just come down from there! I want to talk to you face to face."_

"_You can always come up here, aniki. The view's nice." Oh so now he's being stubborn? Seriously, what the heck is going on with him? He's never acted like this before._

"_Sasuke, come down from that tree this instant!"_

"_No!"_

_Soon, very soon, Itachi might 'accidently' break the tree and that'll get Sasuke to come down. That or jump to another tree or the castle ceiling. Then the vampire prince is going to have an even harder time talking to his brother face to face. "You're acting like a child, Sasuke! I thought you wanted to grow up."_

_What Sasuke said next completely took Itachi off guard. "Well not anymore! If growing up means sneaking off to Kyuubi knows where and separating yourself from everyone who worries and cares about you, then I would rather stay as a child for the rest of my life! At least I won't worry anyone." Then with that, Sasuke looks to the side, away from his brother and he hugs his legs to his chest. Hearing all of this made Itachi surprised at first and now it just made him feel sadden and guilty. The guilt that he really is the reason why Sasuke's so upset as the boy's words stung sharper than any blade and sadness for causing the little boy so much distress. The last thing he ever wanted was to make the boy upset. But the sadness didn't last long since one of them needs to be the adult and work things out._

"_Sasuke, I'm coming up." Even though he said that, Sasuke didn't acknowledge it. He didn't even move from his new position as Itachi took a great leap and only made it half way to the branch Sasuke's on. He grabs the trunk for a short moment before pushing him up the rest of the way. He lands on the branch effortlessly on his feet like a cat and he looks down at the young vampire boy that's refusing to look at him. Seeing this reaction causes the older brother to sigh. This is really starting to be a pain._

_Itachi orders with his soothing, kind and gentle voice, "Sasuke, otouto, look at me." He doesn't. But his little fists do tighten on their hold on the air as he narrows his eyes to the point of starting to cry. The older vampire prince gets a little closer to the younger one and kneels down before him. His hand goes to the boy's face and he forces it to face him. "Look at me." Unable to avoid it anymore, and that he can't disobey his brother's order, Sasuke looks at him and Itachi truly does see those big onyx eyes already shinny and glossed with tears begging to leak out. The look killed the heir inside but right now, he can't afford to lose himself to his emotions. "Growing up doesn't necessary mean that you cut yourself off from your family. It depends on the person if he or she wishes to cut their ties with their family but I do not wish for that. However, I suppose what I am doing is similar but it's not the same."_

"_How is it different?" the boy asks, his voice a little pitchy. "You're growing distant from us and you don't even give us an explanation to why you're doing this. If you hate me so much, just say so!"_

_Did Itachi just hear him right? "Hate you?" he asks, confused and a little surprised. "Why on earth could you possibly think that I would hate you?"_

"_Because I've been nothing but a nuisance to you!" he bursts out, screaming. Tears begin to roll down his face now that he's unable to control it and he continues to scream. "I always cling to you, I always take up your time even when I know you're busy, and I refuse every blood offered to me except yours! Just call me a whiney little brat and leave since you want to go so badly! Just go!" The vampire heir couldn't take it anymore. Sasuke's screams, his tears, it's all too much. So what happens next is Itachi pulls the crying boy into his arms and holds him close to his chest in comfort, feeling that every tear Sasuke sheds is another sword penetrating his chest. And of course, Sasuke begins to struggle. "No!...Let me go!"_

"_Only if you want me to." That made Sasuke stop. His eyes widen in shock as Itachi's arms tighten their hold on him. Now the hug feels desperate and pleading, something Sasuke has never seen or felt from his brother. "You think that I want to leave but let me ask you, do __you__ want me to?" For a moment, Sasuke didn't answer but when he did, it was a shake of the head. That brought some peace to Itachi's stressed mind and it loosens his hold. "You're not a nuisance to me. You never have been and never will. You are my baby brother and I will protect you and take care of you no matter what. How many times do I have to say that in order for you to believe me? I will never leave you, Sasuke."_

"_Liar," he mumbles, his voice muffled from his brother's chest. Instead of struggling, the boy grasps his brother's shirt and Itachi can feel more tears leaving the innocent eyes of his baby brother and seeping through his shirt. "You're going to be king one day and find a mate and then I'll be alone. You won't have time for me anymore."_

_Itachi tries to assure, "Even when that happens, I won't leave you behind, my beloved little brother. You and I are unique siblings. There are no others like us in the world. I'll always be there for you, even as an obstacle for you to overcome. Even if you do hate me."_

_Hearing that made Sasuke push his brother back to look at him face to face. What he sees on the heir's face is complete seriousness and truth to what he just said. On his own face is disbelief. "Hate you?" he asks._

_A sad smile graces Itachi's lips as he says, "You hate me right now, don't you? From the way I've been acting and ignoring you, it only makes sense for you to hate me."_

_Quickly, Sasuke shakes his head and yells, "No! I can never hate you, nii-san. I told you before. I love you and…" Then he looks down at the branch they're both sitting on. This made Itachi confused as he can even see the boy's cheeks turning a deeper shade of red than they already are from crying. "I…I…" Now he's mumbling and he sounds nervous. Why would Sasuke have to be nervous about saying anything to his brother? Unless he thought he did something terribly wrong, but what could Sasuke possibly do wrong that has anything to do with what's happening right now?_

_Sasuke then gulps and he looks back at his brother with his onyx black eyes full of something that Itachi was unable to identify right away. What he does see accompanying that feeling is passion and the boy says, "Nii-san, I-"_

_**Boom**_

_Before the boy could share another word to his sibling, they both heard that faint 'boom' interrupting them. They both look towards the direction of the sound and not far from the castle, a little beyond the forest surrounding them, is the light of a fire and smoke rising up the night air. But Itachi knows that area. Where the fire burns is where Shisui's village should be. It didn't take long till both vampire princes, with their sensitive hearing, could hear the screams and cries of humans dying or running from their lives from whatever is attacking them._

'_**Shisui!'**_

_Fear struck Itachi like a horde of flying, flaming arrows. He couldn't think rationally anymore, only the fact that his love is in danger and he need to get to him NOW! He became so focused on that and as he pushes himself off the branch, he didn't hear what Sasuke mumbled ever so softly. Then the boy notices that his brother jumped off the branch. Itachi lands on the grass with ease and then starts running to the edge so that he could jump off the garden wall and get to Shisui's village faster than running back into the castle to get to the front door._

"_Nii-san!" But a small hand catching the edge of his shirt stops him. Itachi reluctantly stops running and looks down to see his young brother looking at him with that innocent fear and confusion of his. "Wh-where are you going?" he asks._

_Itachi cannot waste any time. He knows that. Panic fills his entire being for his love's safety but if he intends to get there without his little brother getting another panic attack over him, he needs to assure the boy that everything is alright. Quickly, he kneels down to him and says, grasping the child's arms, "I'm sorry, Sasuke but I need to go somewhere right now."_

"_No!" the boy screams, shocking Itachi. Tears peek at his eyes again and this time, Sasuke tries as best as he can to grab Itachi's arms and pleads, "Don't go, please. I don't like this. Please don't go…" Seeing him like this, so fragile and on the edge of sobbing again, it always made Itachi want to comfort him and wipe those tears away, like he always does. But he needs to be with Shisui right now. Because if he doesn't, Shisui will…_

_Out of the explosion of feelings bursting out of Itachi right now, including the feeling of being torn in two, he hugs the boy. But before Sasuke could hug him back, he hears Itachi painfully tell him, "I must. I'll explain later but right now, I must go." Then he pulls away to see Sasuke's sweet face one more time._

"_No, please! Don't leave me. You said…" the boy pleads again, tears already running down his face. Seeing them didn't make the feelings go away, but he'll be back. He just needs to assure Sasuke that right now._

_Itachi's hands cup his brother's face and he directly tells him, "I'll come back. I promise." Then he lets go and before the boy could grab him again, he turns around and sprints into a run to get to his human lover. All the while, hearing his baby brother screaming for him._

"_No, wait! Nii-san! Nii-san! NII-SAAAANN!"_

* * *

"Itachi! Itachi! Itachi!"

Before he knew it, Itachi suddenly feels like he's falling. He opens his eyes right as he tumbles down from the mattress that's been lifted high up for him to fall off and he lands head first on the floor.

_Bam_

"Ow…" he moans, his voice muffled with the floor as his pillows and blanket start falling off and landing on top of him. He pushes himself up into a sitting position and the thing that hurts the most right now is his nose. The pain of his nose that smashed into the ground distracts him from reality as Sasuke drops the mattress and he looks almost just as stressed as he was yesterday.

"About time you woke up, you lazy ass!" he yells. Hearing him causes Itachi to look at the fuming vampire prince in gaping surprise. For the moment, Sasuke ignores that expression. "It's already late noon, sleeping beauty! Do you plan to sleep the day away? Especially when you're covered in yesterday's filth? That's disgusting! An-"

"Where am I?" Itachi interrupts. His interruption took Sasuke off guard. He was just about to answer first with a rude remark and then the answer but then he remembers that he brought Itachi into his room last night when the older vampire was asleep, or so Sasuke thought he was.

The stunned vampire prince gains back his composure and answers, "Look around, dumbass. You're in your room." He still went with the rude remark and then the answer bit. Hearing that, Itachi looks away from his brother and looks around. That's right. He is and what he saw then was just a dream…a dream of painful memories…

Itachi's satin eyes became distant and lost in thought as his face becomes a total blank and he says, "Of course." Hearing his now dead voice, it only made Sasuke even more surprise.

Since Itachi worked so hard yesterday, and that Naruto pleaded his protector to let him sleep, Sasuke allowed Itachi to rest as long as he did. When he thought it was enough, he came to see if Itachi was awake. He was surely surprised when he saw how troubled his brother's face was from in his sleep. His face wasn't all sweaty or really animated with the events of the dream, but the distress, the fear, and the sadness was clearly on his face. The younger looking vampire tried to wake him up nicely since he was always told that suddenly waking someone up from a nightmare is not good. But since Itachi is a different case, he decides to wake him up, after trying and failing the simple shake and scream his name, by lifting up the mattress and making the older vampire fall off the bed. It worked but what the heck did Itachi dream about that's making him act like this?

But yet again, it's not like an ex-human vampire hunter is going to tell him of all people what the dream was.

As Itachi continues to just sit there like a lifeless shell, Sasuke first straightens the mattress before walking over to his brother to gather the pillows and the blanket. His sudden closure causes the dark hair vampire to look up at him but only slightly with his empty eyes. Sasuke orders, "Hurry up and take a bath. You have work to do." Then he gets working on fixing the bed. Well that's nice of him.

Sluggishly, Itachi nods. "Right." Since the closest thing near to him is his counter, Itachi uses it to lift himself up and when he stood up, he notices two closed bottles. He doesn't say anything but he does stare at them. When Sasuke sees that he didn't move from the counter, he looks to see Itachi staring at the bottles.

"Even though I told them not to," Sasuke explains, "Suigetsu and Karin gave you some of their blood as 'sorry gifts' for what happened yesterday. When you're clean, drink it and that'll be your blood for the day. I'll be waiting outside so you can have some privacy but don't keep me waiting." And right on cue, Sasuke was done bed making and he walks pass his brother to the door.

"Sasuke," Itachi calls, stopping the prince right in front of the door. Sasuke looks over his shoulder to face him but his older brother's face is not facing him. He's still staring at the counter. "Have you…never mind. You may go."

Well that's a little annoying. "If you have something to say, spit it out!" Sasuke orders and being the 'slave' to him that he is, Itachi has to obey.

"Have you ever lost someone precious to you?"

The vampire teenager sure as hell didn't see that one coming. Hearing it made his eyes widen till all the whites of his eye surround his onyx pupils and his whole body to tense up. Silence fell upon them for a moment or two till the teenager answers, "Yeah. Ran off and died somewhere without knowing the full extent of how precious he was to me." Silence fills the room again but this time, it didn't last as long as the first one.

Itachi mumbles, lowering his face even more, "I see."

"Why you ask?"

"No reason." Itachi turns around to the bathroom, not once has his face been visible to Sasuke's view. "I won't be long," and then he's inside, leaving Sasuke to stare at the closed bathroom door. Thinking that he's gone, out of sight and out of hearing if he speaks softly enough, Sasuke leans his back against the front door and looks down at the ground before him; allowing his mind to wonder.

"_**Well I think that you should be nicer to your brother."**_

His thoughts turn to the words Naruto spoke to him last night.

"_**Look! I dislike the guy for what he did to you but what you're doing, especially on his first day, is pure torture…. If I were you, I would cherish the time I have with him until his friends decide to come in and crash the party. I may not be a genius but even I know that from our last encounter with that blonde hunter, that hunting group is not gonna give up on him. They'll be back and with the way you're treating him, he's gonna go crawling back to them or beg them for death. Either way, the outcome will be the same and I don't know if I can deal with that, or you."**_

"Shit," the vampire prince mumbles very softly. A hand besides him then tightens into a tight fist and his teeth clench together. "I really do hate it when that dope is right." Neither his fist nor his teeth relaxed but the reason why they're so tight goes from anger to a different emotion. His other hand, the one that's not rolled up into a fist, rises to his head and as his palm is pressed against his forehead and his fingers are lost in his hair. He grips his raven locks and his eyes appear to be in so much pain. The same guilt and pain that was on his face last night appears again on his face now, only more in depth because he has a feeling as to what Itachi was dreaming about and why he asked that question.

While behind the bathroom door, Itachi slightly does the same thing. He doesn't grit his teeth or folds his fist into a death grip. He leans against the door and his hand rises to his forehead in thought. His face is still blank for a moment before his lips curl up into a small smirk and a very light chuckle escapes his lips.

"Heh. I knew it."

**

* * *

**

And there you have it! How was it? Good? Bad? I wonder what Itachi's smirk means? Hehe… Got to wait and find out next chapter! Till then, see ya!


	16. An Old Face Full of Hate

**A/N: Okay, okay, I'm sorry you guys! I know I said that you would like the next chapter but I take that back, or I don't know you might like this one too. –shrugs- But before, the reason why I said that you will like the next chapter is the ItaSasu bit I was planning to put it. But as I was writing this chapter and like the two before it, it became too long and it sounded mostly like I was forcing two ideas into one thing. That would have been confusing. So I split them. Since I could keep my word of putting in the ItaSasu bit in this chapter, I'll tell you what to expect the next chapter.**

**A kiss.**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. I wish I did, but that belongs to the cruel, yet amazing hands of Kishimoto. The story is getting more intense but I am really getting irritated with how he's treating Sasuke and the Uchiha clan. I swear I'm gonna kill something pretty soon… Anyway, thank you for those who have reviewed and please keep them coming. I love them all and they all inspire me to write as fast and much as I can.**

**Now then, I know that you guys are patiently waiting for something happen already, if you know what I mean and I promise you all that it's all coming very soon! Just be patient a little longer.**

**Thank you and enjoy!**

* * *

Ch. 16: An Old Face Full of Hate

Outside in garden, Itachi uses the hand shovel to first soften the dirt, then make a hole, and finally add in the Luna Flower before patting the dirt around it to fill the hole. With that last flower in, he turns to the watering can and pours the water on the flowers for them to grow into many more beautiful flowers for the garden.

'_Well, this job is better than yesterday,'_ is all Itachi can really say, or think.

_**What happened at least two and a half hours ago…**_

"_Itachi, there is someone you need to meet before I inform you of your next job," Sasuke says as he leads his brother to another part of the garden that's different from where the last place the vampire prince dropped him off at with the hellhounds._

_But all Itachi does to answer his younger brother is nod in understanding._

_Since he woke up, Itachi's been nothing but silent. Sasuke waited outside his room like he said he would as Itachi washed off every bit of dirt and dried sweat that he slept with from yesterday, put on some fresh new clothes, and drank the blood that Suigetsu and Karin gave him as sorry gifts. Itachi never really thought of it till then but he noticed that the bloods have their own unique flavors. Suigetsu's blood tasted clean and simple, almost like water. Which is a little strange but it was refreshing. As for Karin's blood, she tastes a lot like cherries but with a small hint of sweet spiciness to give it a nice punch. No wonder vampires like her blood so much. As soon as he was done, he greeted Sasuke outside, who appeared to be unusually tensed and cautious, and the teenager leads him to his next day job. Itachi could only hope that this new job is not anything worst than exhausting hellhound puppies or exhausting them again. One more day with those puppies and Itachi's desire to die will not just be empty words. They'll be a reality._

_However during the way there, neither of the siblings spoken a word to each other. Both appear to be in deep thought. Sasuke definitely looked like he was deep in thought as not a single emotion has pass through Itachi's face since that one shock face he had on when he first woke up. If anyone else was with them, the words 'tensed, awkward silence' would probably be said to describe it._

_When Sasuke only got that nod as his answer, he didn't say anything more to force his brother into answering him. He let it go and continued walking forward to get where they need to be. The tensed awkward silence came upon them again._

_It didn't take them long till Itachi notices another human up ahead. This human is tall! No getting around that and Itachi's point is proved even more as they walk closer to him. He's also kind of big too but not fat kind big. More like masculine kind big. The muscles are very defined on his arms as he was picking some apples off the apple tree. Must be for the humans Itachi figured. His skin is a little tan, proving the fact more that he's human, and he has crazy orange spiky hair. The most interesting fact about him besides that this man is a giant is that there are some birds on his shoulders and some on the tree looking at him. In a way, the image appears very peaceful._

"_Juugo!" Sasuke calls, disturbing the peaceful scene._

_The man, or Juugo, stops picking apples and looks over his shoulder to see his new company. Some of the birds fly away from them but some stayed. Now that he's facing them, Itachi can see that Juugo has fiery red eyes, about a shade darker than Karin's hair. His features are interesting. This man looks older than Sasuke, and maybe a year or two younger than how Itachi looks, but he still has the soft purity of that of a child on his face. But when he smiles, his smile resembles that of a kind and gentle father._

"_Sasuke-sama, good morning," he greets formally._

_Now that Itachi is really close to this Juugo person, the human has a certain…scent on him. Almost like he smells like a vampire but he still has some trances of that of a human. He most certainly does not look like a vampire but he smells like one. His scent is completely different from that of if he's been bitten by one recently. Plus, he doesn't have any bite marks on his neck._

_Sasuke asks him, "Juugo, how many times do I have to tell you to drop the 'sama'? There is no need for the formality."_

"_You are a vampire prince and I am only a worker of the castle. Suigetsu and Karin may not call you 'sama' but that doesn't mean that I can't." All Sasuke does is let out a sigh to his answer. Nothing he can say can change this giant's mind._

_Then Juugo's notices Itachi and takes a moment to examine him before saying, "I take it this is your brother, Sasuke-sama?"_

_Almost groaning since Juugo refuses to drop the 'sama', Sasuke answers, "Yes. Today, he'll be taking over your job." Besides the job bit, Itachi notices that for once Sasuke didn't deny that he's his brother._

_Juugo looks a bit surprised to hear that. "From what I've heard yesterday, you gave Itachi-sama a hard time the other day. All I really have to do after I take these apples inside are pulling the weeds and planting some Luna flowers on the east side."_

"_Perfect. You may have the rest of the day off. It's around that time, isn't it?"_

_That time? What does he mean by that?_

_Listening to this small conversation, still not a single emotion passes through Itachi's face as if he's too busy observing what's in front of him. Being reminded of 'that time', Juugo appears like now he's getting what Sasuke's saying. Before he could say more, the younger vampire prince turns around to look back at Itachi and order, "Today, you are to take over Juugo's job that includes pulling any of the weeds you missed yesterday and planting in some Luna Flowers. You know where the gardening tools are and when you're done, put the tools away and wait at the shack. Karin will inform me when you're done and I'll come back to pick you up. Tell me you understand."_

_Obeying, Itachi answers, "I understand." Then he asks, "Are you leaving me on my own again?"_

"_I may be assigned to babysit you but I have other duties I must attend to. Besides, you're a grown man. You can take care of yourself."_

And then with that, Sasuke left with Juugo following behind him. For the past one hundred and fifty minutes, since the garden is so big, Itachi's been doing nothing but doing what he's been told and now he's reaching the end of his planting duties. Yep, this job is a lot better than yesterday's jobs. Wonder what woke Sasuke up on the right side of the bed?

'_And after this, put the tools away and wait.'_ Itachi looks up at the sky and he can see that he still has a lot of time before the day is over. _'Wonder what Sasuke has planned for the rest of the day, if he doesn't decide to make me wait by the shack all day. Just no more dogs and I'll be fine.'_

As soon as he was done and placed the watering can besides him, a shadow appears behind him and blocks the sun's light from the newly turned vampire. From just the shape of the shadow, Itachi could tell that it wasn't Sasuke, Suigetsu, Juugo, Karin, Naruto, or any of his parents. But the shape is familiar. He looks up to see who it is and still not a trace of emotions appears on his face.

"I was wondering when you were going to appear."

* * *

"He dreamed about that?" Naruto asks, his voice sounding a bit concerned and sympathetic. Sasuke just nods. Then he points to Naruto's notes with his pen.

"Finish that," he orders. Both Naruto and him are sitting on at the table inside the library, studying with the blonde taking notes and raven hair reading and making sure the dope gets his work done. And as usual, the Kyuubi's Jinchuriko was able to get his protector to talk about why he looks so upset.

Naruto doesn't obey and he says, "Not until you finish explaining yourself, teme! I promise that I'll go back to studying without any complaints or interruptions!" He even puts on the big beady eyes and pouty lips as a way to bribe him into telling him.

But Sasuke brutally answers, "Yeah right." He knows his dope all too well and Naruto collapses on the table in defeat.

"Who dreamed about what?"

Both vampires look up at the Library entrance and they see Suigetsu peeking his head in through the doors. Sasuke just asks, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be cleaning the bathroom?"

"I was on my way there when I heard this interesting conversation."

Just what Sasuke needs right now. An audience.

Suigetsu walks over to sit next to Naruto and he leans over with a big grin on his face as he asks, "So tell me, Sasuke. Did you get a wet dream about your brother? If you did, I wouldn't mind listening to the juicy details." He got a book slammed into his face for that comment.

"It is none of your concern."

When the book fell of his face, Suigetsu now has a red book mark and that grin that unfortunately wasn't knocked off from the force of the book. "Looks like I hit the mark perfectly."

"Nope," this time Naruto answers before taking more notes on his studies. "The one who had the dream was Itachi and it wasn't a wet dream." Sasuke rolls his eyes when Naruto just blabbered his mouth like that to the whole world. He goes back to reading.

With the grin now gone and the curiosity taking its place, Suigetsu asks, "Then what kind of dream was it?"

While keeping his eyes in his book and turning the page to read the next one, Sasuke tells his white hair human friend, "It's really none of your business, Suigetsu. Stop butting in on other people's business."

The child looking human does not look convince by the raven hair vampire prince's behavior. He says, "Look, Sasuke. Everyone in this castle, even those who haven't even been here long, knows that the bond you had with your brother was something to admire. Something they're all shocked about that it broke twenty years ago. When the news arrived that he was coming back here and become your vampire servant, we were all shocked and while some of us were happy that the two royal brothers were reunited, all of us were scared to death on how it would turn out because we all know that if Itachi-sama puts you in a bad mood, we all have to suffer for it. However, these past two days everyone has noticed that something changed in you. We're all hoping that it's good, but rather if it's a good thing or not, we're all hoping that you two can patch up that broken bond and move on. And don't you dare try to deny it either. We all know so there's no use hiding it. You think your mask is so perfect but it's starting to slip on you, Sasuke."

Hearing that, Naruto becomes more cautious for this human's life than Sasuke's mental state. Is this guy trying to get himself killed before he becomes a vampire? But looking back at his pale skin friend, Naruto doesn't see Sasuke glaring at Suigetsu. He sees a gentle side of his friend as he lowers down the book and closes it. The vampire prince doesn't look up at any of them as his eyes are glued to the book cover and he gently caresses it once. His face may be a blank but his features have soften exceedingly. He asks, "Am I that obvious?"

"Not really. Just had a hunch."

Not even a second pass and Sasuke is reaching over and he has the collar of Suigetsu's shirt gripped in his fist while glaring daggers at the human's laughing face. Now Naruto is shaking a little from his protector's rage. Why did the idiot have to go ahead and say something like that?

Suigetsu continues to laugh even when he says, "Wow, Sasuke! You looked like a total girl for a minute there. Only goes to show that you really do have a soft spot for your beloved older brother, huh?"

With three veins pulsing on his head, Sasuke grips the collar more and he looks like an insane serial killer. "Keep it up and you're going to die before your time." Still the human laughs, testing the vampire prince's patience even more.

Then all of a sudden, the door bursts open and Karin comes in screaming, "Sasuke! We have a problem!" All three guys look up at her and as soon as Karin sees Suigetsu, she's first surprise and then her expression turns sour. "Oh, you're here."

Suigetsu narrows his eyes at her and asks, "Is that all you can say to me? Really?"

Before they could go off on their little 'off couple', pointless bickering, Naruto quickly asks, "Karin, what's the problem?"

Hearing the Kyuubi's vessel question, Karin stops the glaring contest and her expression instantly goes to panic worry. "Sasuke, it's Itachi-sama! Kakashi's with him!"

The second he heard that, Sasuke lets go of Suigetsu and he's out the library. If anyone had blinked, they would have missed him. Karin did and she felt a small breeze when Sasuke passed her. When Naruto heard that news, his face became filled with a lot more panic and fear than what Karin had on her face. One surprising note is Sasuke went in such a rush, he didn't even tell Naruto to stay; like he would listen anyway.

Suigetsu lifts himself up from the chair and says, "Now this I gotta see." Then he runs pass Karin and Naruto follows right behind him.

"Wait for me!"

Now that leaves Karin alone at the Library door.

"Ah, hold on!"

_

* * *

_

Bam

Itachi's back hit the stone wall in full force, creating a small crater and a few cracks. He collapses on the ground on his knees and takes a moment to try and overcome the pain in his back and ribs. Those cracked bones slowly begin to heal and in doing so causes Itachi's throat to burn.

"So this is how low you've fallen, Itachi?"

The in pain vampire looks up at his attacker and before him is now an adult version of the very first vampire he bite and turned. Hatake Kakashi stands before him in all his flaming glory. Unlike the teenage boy that Itachi knew long ago, that boy has grown into a rather handsome man. He still has that mask on his face that covers his nose, mouth, and chin but now he has a headband that's covering his left eye. He never had that one before. His silver hair is spiky and practically standing straight up. He has the vampire's pale skin but, even back then, it was always a shade darker than Itachi's. Unlike Juugo who was big buff, Kakashi looks more lean but the muscles are there on his body and from that last hit, they're not just for show. His one eye that he's showing right now is glowing red with anger and hatred and Itachi can see a lot of it radiating out of that eye.

"You've become that of a pitiful weakling. Why won't you fight back?" Kakashi asks enraged.

Itachi takes a moment to answer that. It wasn't because of the slow healing of his bones or the burning sensation in his throat. His face is still a blank and his eyes are still empty, but he's sweating and he's panting from the pain. He answers as if he were breathing, "I was ordered not to harm a single vampire in this castle. As someone who was once servant to his master, you should understand that a master's law is absolute."

That set Kakashi off. In a split second, Kakashi's foot collides with Itachi's right cheek and he goes flying before stumbling on the ground with a now broken jaw. His arms are shaky and as his body tries to heal himself, causing the burning to continue. He replaces his jaw into the proper position and he lets out a shaky groan of pain in the process of it. He only had a moment to feel only the pain of his jaw and throat before he feels Kakashi's hand roughly grab his hair and lifts him up so that he could be face to face with him as he kneels before him. Just by looking into that one eye, he can tell that the spiky silver hair vampire is on the verge of completely losing his control.

"All the more easier for me to kill you, then," he says, not sounding at all pleased to hear Itachi's earlier words. He shakes the grip of hair he has in his hand and says, "Don't compare me to you! We are nothing alike." He raises his other hand and lightning surrounds it till it forms a sharp point like a sword. Itachi looks at the lightning blade before looking back at the face of his once vampire servant. There isn't a hint of fear or any kind of emotion on his face, which only angers Kakashi all the more. This vampire is going to die and he won't even cower for his life. It's all very annoying. "You will atone for your crimes, scum!"

Funny way to die, huh? Killed by your first bite and even though you don't know all of the details why, you have a feeling you do. You just lie there in pain as that lightning blade pulls back for more momentum before it comes thrusting into your flesh for the kill and the last thing you said to this person was a lie.

"Time to die!"

But the kill never came.

_Cry_

A sound that resembles that of a thousand crying birds is all that is heard before Kakashi is blown away from a different lightning attack and drops Itachi in the process. The dark brunette vampire cringes for a moment from the fall and lack of energy but then feels a presence hovering over him. He looks up and he sees Sasuke crouched down into a threatening position over him as if he were protecting him like an angry lion protecting its cub. That fact became proven even more when one of Sasuke's hands is on Itachi's shoulder and the other is grasping his sword that's pointed directly at Kakashi. Itachi couldn't see his little brother's face but he can hear him growling very dangerously at the boy's childhood combat instructor. He can probably imagine Sasuke's onyx black eyes are now glowing red as well while his fangs must be extended at full length as he's baring them in the sunlight. This time, shock appears on the older vampire's face at his little brother's protective nature.

Kakashi pushes himself up and he looks a bit surprise to see Sasuke like that in front of him as well. The vampire prince first hisses, baring his teeth even more before growling, "Don't you dare lay a hand on him, Kakashi!" While the other lightning user makes a 'tch' sound and glares at his student, Itachi is staring at his baby brother in gaping surprise. To add more to the surprise, Sasuke's sword is starting to be surrounded by sparks of lightning.

Kakashi stands up and he asks, "Why are you protecting him, Sasuke? You know what he did! He deserves to die! I don't know what the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki was thinking but keeping him alive endangers us all!"

"He is none of your concern," Sasuke yells back. "His life is belongs to me! He is my responsibility and I don't fuckin care if he killed an entire nation of vampires! What happened to you is something to be pitied. But I am tired of listening to it!"

What happened…to _him_?

During all of his years of being a vampire hunter, and even when he was still living in the castle, Itachi has not once harm or insulted Kakashi in anyway. He actually thought of Kakashi as a sort of companion, a friend. Someone who was always so cheery and laid back. Itachi used to find the guy in a library by the adult section at times. He questioned about it once but it never bothered him since it was Kakashi's own decision on what to read, not Itachi's.

"Let me relieve you of that by allowing me to kill that man you're protecting. What he's done can never be forgiven!"

Hearing that, Itachi could faintly hear Sasuke wincing when he heard that. He didn't know whether it was only him growling or what Kakashi just said struck a nerve. A slight bit of confusion now appears on Itachi's face. What in the world is going on here?

"What he's done cannot be forgiven…"

Hearing that voice catches all three vampires' attention and it takes them all by surprise. Kakashi looks over his shoulder from the corner of his eye and another vampire appears revealing himself as if he's been hiding behind the spiky silver hair vampire the entire time. Now this vampire is beautiful. The same ivory skin of that of a vampire but with a hint of color. He looks beautifully lean with good form and hard muscles but compared to Kakashi, he's more slender than the spiky silver hair vampire. He also has white hair that's in an unusual hair style. His hair part is all jiggidy jagy and it looks as if it's divided into four parts. On his left side the front part of his hair is loose while the back part is tied. It's almost the same on the right but the front part is tied and the back is loose. He has jade green eyes that are just piercing right through Kakashi like a sharp steel sword. His expression is completely calm and relaxed and almost expressionless. What catches Itachi's attention is that he has two red dots on his forehead lined with his nose. He knows someone else who has the two dots on their forehead. Someone from the past…What's also strange about this beautiful vampire is that his hand looks like that of a gun and he's pointing his index finger at Kakashi's head. The silver spiky vampire dares not move.

"…but what he's doing right now is atoning for it by being the very thing he hates."

Seeing him causes Sasuke to relax a little bit, especially with the position he's in with Kakashi but Sasuke doesn't remove himself from Itachi just yet. Kakashi on the other hand becomes the first to speak this mystery vampire's name. "Kimimaro?"

Now why does that name sound familiar?

The vampire known as Kimimaro says in a calm and yet dangerous voice, "We all feel sympathy for your loss but there have been many others like you who have gone through the same tragedy as you. There is no reason for you to take your own reckless revenge on Itachi-sama when you know the consequences of your own actions. Surely you have not forgotten the law of killing a servant of a vampire master. The consequences would be determined by the mercy of the master of the servant you killed and judging by Sasuke's protective behavior, I say you would be facing with something much worst than death."

Instead of cowering in fear or at least showing some bit of fright on his expressions, Kakashi's one eye still glows red and now he's glaring at the vampire threatening him from behind. "You think I fear death? I would happily accept death so long as that man dies with me." Hearing his words made Sasuke growl at the man even more and makes Itachi all the more confused.

What exactly did he do to make Kakashi hate him so?

"But wouldn't that make Obito sad? Didn't you promise him to stay alive even after he's gone?"

Now that struck a nerve on Kakashi. So much that his one red eye turns back to its original dark grey eye in a matter of seconds. But who's Obito, Itachi wondered. From the way it sounds, this Kimimaro character describes him to be dead and from Kakashi's expression, someone really precious to him. When the name was mentioned, the long hair vampire could not ignore how Sasuke's hold on his shoulder tightens as if the name also struck a nerve on the teenager. Itachi still can't see his face too clearly so he can't be too sure.

Kimimaro asks him again, "You wouldn't want to make him sad now would you? Or break your promise?" But then Kakashi still says nothing. He looks down at the ground defeated and his fists grip together into tight balls. Then he sharply looks at Itachi and Itachi alone. He glares one more time with every bit of hatred in his very being before slapping Kimimaro's hand from his head and begins to walk away. All eyes are glue to him as he continues to walk without once looking back or saying a single word. As he leaves, Sasuke begins to relax just a little while the white hair vampire lets out a sigh and lets his stress appear on his face. "So trouble-some."

"Kimimaro!"

Hearing the new company, the vampires, or two of them, looks up and both Itachi and Kimimaro sees Juugo running to them with quite a crowd following him. He has Suigetsu, Karin, and Naruto with him as well.

"Juugo." Seeing him causes the once expressionless vampire to relax completely and smiles warmly at the human's handsome face. "It's alright. Everything is under control."

Seeing as how Juugo only rushed up to Kimimaro while the others pass him, there was no doubt that those two beings have a certain bond together that even causes Itachi to widen his eyes at them. He also notices as the human stares at the beautiful vampire that the human now has bite marks on his neck and the strange scent that Itachi smelled before is also on Kimimaro. But the look in their eyes…there's so much love there.

"Yo, Sasuke!" Suigetsu calls, stopping a few ways from the two siblings. Now that Kakashi is completely gone and the worst is over, Sasuke lifts himself up from over Itachi. "Did we miss it?"

_Bam_

Or not.

All too suddenly, Sasuke grabs Itachi's collar and slams him into the crater in the wall that the long hair vampire unfortunately created when Kakashi hit him. Now with Sasuke's help, not only did the crater gained more cracks but now Itachi's in more pain than he originally started. He even coughs out a little bit of blood from the impact. Now Sasuke's red eyes are burning into his older brother while he's got the rest of the crowd surrounding them to gasp at the sudden harsh treatment being displayed in front of them. All Suigetsu could say was, "Ouch."

Itachi looks back at his little brother and does Sasuke look _pissed_. His fangs are retracted but his eyes are still red but now with full on anger, no hatred. "Are you out of your god damn mind?" the teen screams, gripping the older vampire's collar all the more. "Why the hell didn't you fuckin fight back? Do you WANT to do die that badly, huh? Because all you really have to do is ask and I'll gladly kill you myself!"

"What would you do if I said 'yes', little brother?" When Sasuke heard that, his eyes are no longer glaring. Red but now they're wide with shock. Just like everyone else observing the scene being played before them. Itachi's face has gone back to becoming nothing more than a blank and his voice empty as he says, " 'Yes, I want to die,' and 'I would be more than happy if you kill me right now.' Is that what you want to hear?"

Silence fell upon them. No one dared to say anything, Itachi was waiting for Sasuke's response, and the young teenager vampire is too shock to say anything immediately. Naruto this time looks at his friend in worry as Sasuke's eyes started to fade from red to onyx before he glares again. He pulls Itachi way from the wall before slamming him against it again. A small crack grows a little longer from the impact.

"Now you listen to me, you miserable fuck!" he says, his voice practically drowned in the venom of his words. "You are not going to die! You are not going to committee suicide and you are not going to just sit there and be beaten into a bloody pulp! If anyone threatens your life again, even if it's me, stop them! If anyone tries to kill Naruto, stop them! You got that? Tell me you understand!" He does the same thing with slamming Itachi into the wall and the cracks grew really long now.

Even though the pain stops him from answering temporarily, the look on Itachi's face did not change in the slightest. He answers, "I understand."

Still angry and now furious with Itachi's lack of facial expressions, Sasuke was going to slam his brother against the wall again to knock some sense into him, but he was stopped. A hand grabs Sasuke's wrist and another grabs Itachi's collar. Both hands pry the younger vampire off the older vampire but it happened so fast and with so much strength that it surprised both Uchiha brothers. The hands that pulled them apart belong to Naruto. In one split second, he was besides Karin who was behind Suigetsu and the next he's besides the two siblings. Sasuke appears a little dumbstruck when he was pulled off his brother and Itachi was just about to hit the wall since he has no strength to really hold himself up, but Naruto catches him before he could even touch it.

"Wahoo there! Let's not abuse the sun protection barrier anymore than we already have, okay?" the blonde jinchuriki asks, his voice cheery and his smile very friendly. Itachi only stares at him first with a blank expression before he raises a slender brow at what he just said.

"Sun protection barrier?"

It became Naruto's turn to be confused with what the older looking vampire just said. Now that the drama is over, everyone can breathe easier. Eve Suigetsu walks over to Sasuke and asks, "Hey, Sasuke! You didn't tell your brother anything, did ya?"

Coming back to reality, the moon beautiful vampire tells the human straight out, "Do you honestly believe that I would tell him anything after only being a vampire for twenty-four hours? He was a vampire _hunter_ before he was captured, Suigetsu."

"But you still should have told him something, teme!" Naruto yells, as if growing a fit of his own. He pushes Itachi up a little more so he can support himself before turning to him with a smile and saying, "Here! I'll tell ya!"

"Naruto…!" Sasuke growls like he's warning the blonde not to continue.

But Naruto makes an angry/pouty face at the raven hair before saying, "Look, Sasuke! He may have been a hunter before he became a vampire, again, but if he's going to be staying here, he needs to know about the new updates around here. We only told him one of them yesterday and that was the feeding method. We haven't told him about the barrier, the blood food, or the new mating rules."

The last part got Itachi's attention. His eyes slightly widen and he asks, "Mating rules?"

Naruto turns back to him and he says, "Oh don't worry. The law that we mate once still stands but if a vampire falls in love with a human then the vampire could 'claim' the human until that human is ready to become a vampire. Look at Kimimaro and Juugo! They're an example."

So he does. He looks up at the two new faces of the day and he sees both of them looking at him with warm kind smiles. Out of both of them, Kimimaro has the friendliest smile, almost like that of a female. The couple walks towards the staring, clueless vampire and Kimimaro sits down before him. He greets, "Good afternoon, Itachi-sama. I heard you had it out with my family about twenty years ago. I'm sorry for the trouble they caused you."

So that's it.

"I thought you looked familiar. You're from the vampire hunting family, the Kaguya clan."

The white hair vampire nods. "As you may have heard, my name is Kaguya Kimimaro. I'm the Kaguya's clan heir and supposedly their greatest weapon."

Well this is surprising. From how Itachi heard it from the Akatsuki gossip, he heard that the Kaguya clan was eliminated by a powerful and unexpected enemy. He heard that the entire clan was wiped out in a single night. Not that it really mattered to the Akatsuki group. When the Kaguya clan heard that Itachi was in group, they've been like hooked with the desire to destroy them ever since; even though the once human vampire hunter could really care less since he felt no real threat from them. It was Hidan and Deidara that were all up and arms about them getting themselves killed. Still if one of them survived, what's he doing here?

"What is an heir of the vampire hunting clan doing in this castle, and as a vampire no less?"

But before he could get his answer, a small noise interrupts them again.

_Growl_

All eyes turn to the sound and it was coming from Naruto's stomach. He first looks at it in surprise while Sasuke has a sweat drop appear on his head. The blonde then becomes red with embarrassment and rubs the back of his head. "Ah hehe, sorry about that!" He turns to his protector and with the same pouty, beady eye face he had on before, he acts like a puppy and says, "Sasuke, I'm hungry. Can we go eat?" What is Sasuke, his mother?

The vampire prince crosses his arms in front of his chest and reminds, "You just had lunch an hour ago." In other words, 'no, you'll ruin your dinner.'

Still Naruto whines like a little child, "But I'm hungry! Just a small snack, please?"

Then Suigetsu cuts in saying, "A snack doesn't sound that bad and Itachi is done with his gardening duties, right?" The white hair human turns to Itachi and the long hair vampire just nods at his question. He smiles at the answer. "It would be better to tell him everything once we're inside. I believe that this little talk is going to be one long discussion." He's trying to cause trouble again and he's ditching his bathroom cleaning duties.

"No w-"

"Yeah!" Naruto cheers like a child in a carnival. "Ne, Sasuke? Can I have ramen?"

Now getting annoyed, he yells, "You already had three bowls of ramen!"

"But that was chicken ramen. I want beef ramen with extra barbeque pork!"

From the corner of Itachi's eye, as he was watching the blonde cause more stress for his little brother, he sees a hand asking for his. It belongs to Kimimaro who's still smiling warmly at him and says, "Come now, Itachi-sama. After that little beat up, I suspect that you must be hungry. You're throat must be burning." He's right about that. As confused as he is right now with what they're talking about, Itachi nods and accepts Kimimaro's help on standing up. He still feels weak but he'll be alright. The Kaguya heir offered to help him walk but Itachi kindly reclines. It seems that everyone but Sasuke wants to take a small break and have something to eat as they talk as if everything is a small picnic. The vampire prince just feels very ignored and disobeyed.

"You're all against me."

**

* * *

**

Okay, how was that? Just to be clear, I like Kakashi but I need someone else who's not too thrilled that Itachi is welcomed back home as if he just came back from a small business trip and did nothing wrong. Now the rest of the new Uchiha updates will be revealed next chapter and that little ItaSasu bit I said earlier. I promise! Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye. I don't care how long the chapter will be, I will add that scene! Till next time!


	17. The Things I Would Do For You

**A/N: Hello my fellow fans. Finally the chapter you have all been waiting for! Now I hope this chapter is to your liking because it'll be a while before I update again. I have to go back to school, -groan-, and I won't be able to write so much until I get used to my new schedule. It's been fun in the summer but now I must take things slow. I'm so sorry… But I'll try to update as soon as I can and write as much as I could. I won't waste a single moment of my time!**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself, because I would so have Sasuke come back home instead of losing his mind and killing people left and right and I would bring Itachi back to life, somehow… Anyway, thank you for those who have reviewed and please keep them coming! Comments and criticism are welcomed! I really do hope you enjoy this super long chapter and enjoy the ending. Thank you and enjoy! **

* * *

Ch. 17: The Things I Would Do For You

"And what would you like, Itachi-sama?" the human maid asks with a happy, friendly smile on her face. Never mind that the guy she's asking tried to kill every vampire in the world and never mind that he himself is a vampire. She seems completely at ease with him and there is a speck of flirting in her eyes as well. Not that he couldn't tell. He could. He's been playing roles similar to her for a long time before he came back home. But besides that, the maid is asking what Itachi wants to eat as if he were in a restaurant sitting at a table and she's a waitress.

Before he could answer her, Sasuke yells out, "The chef's sweet special."

All eyes turn to him when he said that but he's just sitting next to Naruto with his elbow prop on the long rectangle table and his chin resting on the palm of his hand. He's upset and he's refusing to look at anyone right now.

"I think I can order for myself, little brother," Itachi says, his voice and face still looking like that of an emotionless doll.

But Sasuke just tells him, "You don't know what we have here, so just shut up and take it!"

Across from him is Suigetsu and he asks, "Don't tell me that the great Uchiha Sasuke is jealous, now is he?" with that teasing smirk plastered on his face like always. While Itachi raises a brow, Sasuke glares more than just daggers this time at the human worker.

"Shouldn't you be working in the bathroom, _Suigetsu_?" he asks dangerously. So dangerously in fact that the human maid is more afraid of the younger prince than anyone else.

Indifferent to his glare, Suigetsu answers, "I'm taking a break as well. Besides, as a humble worker of the Uchiha castle, my first priority is to the royal family. Itachi included."

"Pft! You just want to get out of working, you lazy ass," Karin snorts, sitting not that far away from her temporary ex-lover but sitting next to him none the less. Now the white hair human is glaring at her. Juugo and Kimimaro, who are sitting across from Itachi, just let out a sigh from this scene. Rather they're on 'on' or 'off', they're so trouble-some.

Trying to continue with her job, the human maid asks, "Uh, Sasuke-sama. Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"

"No, I'm fine," he mutters, bitterly. Then he whispers, "I didn't even want this stupid snack anyway." Naruto was the only one who looks upon his friend with deep, deep concern. It's obvious that he wants to say something but he knows that it'll all be useless for the blonde to say,

The maid then stutters, "W-Well then, I-I'll go and get the other orders ready." Then she bows and ran out of there as if Sasuke was the most intimidating creature on the face of the plant, which he is at the moment.

Now with the maid gone and off to get their food, Kimimaro says, "So Itachi-sama, do you wish for me to answer your earlier question or would you rather talk about something else?"

The expressionless vampire answers, "I would like for you to answer my question. By your appearance, I suspect that you were nothing more than a child when I was at war with your family. By them alone, they were war hungry, vicious hunters."

"Yes, they were. My father the worst of them all." A sad expression appears on the white hair vampire's face as his eyes became distant and lost in the past. "My father was enraged with your strength when you defeated his so called 'ultimate force'. So enraged that he showed no mercy on me as a father or a trainer." The last part just barely sounded like a whisper. Juugo grasps Kimimaro's hand in a tight and comforting squeeze, distracting the vampire for a moment, and giving him a loving smile of encouragement. His lover gives one back in return. By these small actions alone, anyone can tell how deep and strong the bond between them is. In a way it made Itachi uncomfortable but he doesn't show it. It definitely shows on Sasuke's face but no one is really looking at him, besides Naruto.

The couple gives each other one more squeeze before Kimimaro returns to his tale. "Like you, I was known as the Kaguya's clan's prodigy. The most skilled with a sword, the best reflexes, and I could perform the swiftest and quietest kill. But unlike my clan, I guess you can say that I wasn't a fan of violence or war. My mother died giving birth to me and I lived my life with the only option to get my father's attention – through killing vampires and showing no mercy to the humans that have fallen under the vampire's control. For a while, I believed that was my purpose in this blood soaked life and yet no matter how hard I tried, I yearned for so much more. Something different than what I was living in." During his story, Kimimaro's face appeared sad and tragic. It's hard on him to look back on his past that's surrounded by murder and darkness. Like he is the innocent, naïve child that was force to live in such a cruel, dark world. It reminds Itachi a bit of how he saw Sasuke when he was a child and what he would have seen if his little brother lost that beaming-with-happiness smile.

When Kimimaro says the next part, his face practically lightens up with glee and a sign of a small bit of happiness he was able to experience in his human life. "Then I met Juugo. A slave sold to the family and I was fortunate enough for him to become my personal servant. He gave my life a new meaning, he would listen to my deepest thoughts and desires, and he would praise me without achievement. He was everything that I lacked and so much more. My opposite and yet, my other half." Then he looks back at Juugo and the love blossoms again for everyone to see. It just seemed so real and so close that anyone could practically taste it. They're able to live for each other and be unafraid to say words of love to the other. They looked like the perfect example of soul mates. Just looking at them could make anyone feel awed, or jealous, or happy, or even a bit sad. Anybody would just be willing to die for just one moment to share a moment like that with their true love.

Naruto had to cough to get their attentions back to reality. Surely caught them by surprise and they turn to look at the happy goofy smile on the jinchuriki's face.

"Oh forgive me. I did not mean to wonder," Kimimaro excuses. Itachi simple gestures 'It's alright. Continue with your story.' Seeing his understanding, Kimimaro is liking this long hair vampire all the more. "I'm sure you were aware of the sickness that was passed down the family line. As being the most skilled warrior of the clan, I was also the sickest. As the years passed by, my body became weaker and my father would be even angrier. How I would be the most powerful weapon and yet I was made with cheap materials. Then about eight years ago, I supposed you can say that Sasuke saved me."

Expression still did not appear on Itachi's face but his voice at least sounds surprise to hear this. "Sasuke?"

"Yes," he answers. He even takes a small side view at the teenager but he's still looking away from everyone else. He obviously doesn't want to take any part in this conversation or storytelling. But Kimimaro didn't seem to mind. "He came one night, unexpectedly and slain every single member of my clan."

_

* * *

_

Flashback eight years ago…in Kimimaro's POV…

"_My lord, my lord!"_

_I was in my room at the time that was only a screen door away from the room one of the guards came bursting in to report to father. It was just me in the room since Juugo went to the kitchen to prepare my tea for my sickness. I became rather surprised by the guard's terrified and eager behavior when he came in and bowed to my father in respect._

"_What is it?" my father asked._

_As best as he could without trying to allow fear to control his words, the guard reported, "W-We're under attack! A single vampire is coming this way and is killing everyone in sight!"_

"_What?"_

_Even I was surprised that a single vampire, after already slaughtering millions more before this one, would cause so much fear and mayhem that the guard was portraying._

"_Ah-already he's passed through the inner gates! He's passing through our defenses as if he were on a stroll in a park!"_

_**Slash**_

_And then just like that with an extended sword of lightning, the guard that was cowering before my father became beheaded and my father suffered a deep gash in the chest. I was astounded by the sight before me. A single vampire got in so deep into our base in such a short period of time and as I saw the vampire's shadow through the screen door, he appeared unharmed. I never thought it was possible. Instead of worrying for my father who was then lying on the ground dying, I was concern if Juugo unfortunately crossed him and ended up dead. I will admit that I was terrified and I was literally shaking in my bed by how powerful Sasuke's mere presence became through that thin door._

_When he stood before my father, I heard my father say, "You… You're just a kid? How could someone like you get in here?"_

"_How could a kid defeat your so called ultimate force twelve years ago?" Sasuke asked before raising his sword over my father's chest. "It's the same question." Then he stabbed him and killed my father._

_At the time, besides being petrified by him, I was confused on why Sasuke wouldn't just devour my father's blood or the blood of his victims. He only allowed his sword to taste their blood. It was quite an unusual vampire behavior and I was starting to believe that it was really a hunter with the strength and swiftness of a vampire. But my confusion soon sufficed when he entered my room._

_Like my father, I too was shocked by his age. Surely vampires are much older than humans but by vampire years, Sasuke only looked about twelve or thirteen years old. Still just a child and I'm almost embarrassed to say that I was captivated by his beauty when I first laid eyes on him. He who has just killed an entire vampire hunting clan, covered in their blood and yet, he looked so pure. Like no mere darkness, killing, or even death could touch him. He could have been bathed in their blood and my thoughts would still be the same. His ivory skin that glowed all on it's own like a full moon in a pitch black sky, his body standing firmly before me with dignity, honor, strength, and grace, his raven black hair looked so soft and light appearing as spiky as it did, and his onyx eyes were like black endless pools, clean of any filth and just full of so many hidden emotions that appear too great to be kept hidden away. His mere beauty dissolved away the fear I felt so strongly before and all I could do was just stare at the untainted being before me. In a way, he made me feel like I wanted to protect him as if he were a precious gem that must never fall into corrupted hands._

"_**Even when I first saw him, despite the situation I found him in, I must confess that I too had the same intentions," Juugo intervenes. "Oops. Sorry for the interruption, Kimimaro."**_

"_**It's quite alright," he assures. "Sasuke is, after all, so adorable and irresistible, isn't he?"**_

"_**What are you two, my parents?" the moody teenager asks. Okay, so he was listening to this story-telling.**_

_**Anyway…**_

_Then Sasuke asked me, "Are you the heir of the Kaguya clan?"_

_I could have said no. Said no and hope that he would spare my life so I could at least know if Juugo was okay. But I didn't feel like I could lie to him. I just couldn't._

_So I answered, "Yes."_

_He approached me then and I didn't flinch away. I knew that my life was in danger and yet I did not shy away. I just sat there looking at him and he stood before me with death-filled, cold eyes, still hiding away emotions that were banging against his cage he kept them in. He said to me, "Then as the heir, you will suffer for your family crimes." He grabbed my hair and exposed my neck so he could lean in for the bite._

"_Wait," I managed to say. He stopped. "Have you come across a human with orange hair and red eyes? A human around the same age as me?"_

_He answered, "I only murdered members of your clan. Your servant is alive." I was so relieved to hear it that I didn't mind if he was going to bite me or not. "Although, you should worry about your own life than his. Your family took something very precious from me twenty years ago and now you will pay for it." Then he bit me._

_I'm sure that you understand what a bite of a vampire feels like. It was so painful that my muscles tensed and my first reaction was to pull him off of me. But in my weakened state, I couldn't and his hold on me was too tight. He wasn't trying to be gentle with it either. I wanted to scream but my throat felt paralyzed and with each second that pass, a large portion of my blood would be taken. I was losing my strength quickly. Then like all bites, I felt that immense and undeniable pleasure. It's something that can't be avoided in a bite. I'm even unsure if it's appropriate for me to say that I was in rapturous ecstasy. From trying to push him off of me, I was holding him closer. I wanted more of that pleasure and I did not want him to stop. However, his goal was draining me dry._

_I lost my vision long ago and all of my senses seemed to have stopped with the more blood I was losing. Soon the pleasure started to fade away and I was left to feel the pain of blood loss. It was right before I was going to lose conscious from lack of blood that he stopped._

_Sasuke didn't plan on it but an arrow shot out of nowhere and it was aiming for his head. When his fangs pulled away, pain shot through my body like an explosion. I know now that it was the venom of his fangs that immediately began to turn me into a vampire the moment his fangs retracted. I didn't know at the time if it was my cry or if it was Juugo's battle cry when he came charging in with a sword to separate Sasuke from myself. He dropped me and backed away before Juugo could slice him and I'm left on the ground twisting and shaking as if I were having a seizure. I heard words being exchanged between Sasuke and Juugo but I couldn't really figure out what they were. All I knew was the pain in my body was changing me and I wanted it to stop._

_I heard that you fainted, Itachi-sama, so you're fortunate enough not to endure what I had to go through._

_From what Juugo told me, he said something like, "Stay away from him!" to the vampire boy._

_Then Sasuke asked him, "Why do you protect him so? I understand of the Kaguya clan's merciless and uncaring nature and yet you saved him of your own free will instead of fleeing and enjoying the freedom I have given you."_

_Juugo stood in front of me protectively with the sword ready in his hand. He knew he couldn't stand a chance with someone who just killed my family but he was there with no fear, willing to protect me. "You don't know him. I am willing to protect Kimimaro till my dying breath!"_

_The only sound that kept the silence from drowning my room was the sound of my breathless cries and my body twitching and the sound of my bones cracking against each other. Juugo told me that Sasuke just kept staring at them with observing eyes for the longest time, as if he noticed something and was examining it. It became a long time before he spoke again._

"_Alright then," he said. "Carry him and follow me."_

_If I was not in pain I would have been just as confused as Juugo was. Sasuke explained, "He is changing into a vampire from the venom as we speak and in three days, his transformation will be complete. As his biter, I will become his master and it will be my duty to teach him the ways of my kind and to teach him how to surpass that burning hunger. Stopping the transformation is out of the question. He will become the very thing he has killed all his life. If you still wish to stay with him, then you are welcomed to come along and live in my castle with him. And if you desire, you may work to earn your right to become a vampire."_

…_flashback ends._

* * *

Kimimaro finishes, "Of course, Juugo was confused with his last words but that was the last Sasuke was willing to speak for the night. So then we arrived at the Uchiha castle and three days later, I became a vampire. Sasuke taught me on how to control my hunger, how to use my hidden power, and everything I need to know about the vampire world that I would never have known if my clan was alive."

Then cutting in, Naruto exclaims, "I still remember yelling at teme that night for just getting up and leaving without so much as a warning. We were all screaming, 'Don't go running off like that! We already lost one prince, we don't want to lose another!' or 'How can you be the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki's protector if you just leave him here? What if something happened?'" Getting him to stop, Sasuke wacks him right upside the head.

"Okay, dope. No one needs to hear all of that."

But hearing the protector part makes Itachi's slender brows slightly rise up in surprise. _'So that explains why Sasuke is always with him,'_ he concludes.

It's not that Itachi was an idiot. He noticed how his little brother has been ordering the vampire god's vessel around like a strict parent and the teenager mentioned about babysitting both Itachi and Naruto. But it never fully came to him to think that his little brother is the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki's protector. That job is passed down to a vampire of high level power. Usually it would be the head of the Uchiha family to obtain that job; in this case, Madara. Itachi figured that his father was just too lazy to watch the hyper active vampire and since Naruto is the same age as Sasuke, it just made sense that the blonde would hang out with him. Now hearing that his little brother took out the Kaguya clan as if he was cleaning up the trash and he's the vampire god's vessel's protector, that's something to be awed at; even though he's not showing it.

"You've become strong." All eyes turn to Itachi when he said that. "To defeat the Kaguya clan and become the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki's protector. Well done."

For just one moment and one moment only, Sasuke's eyes slightly widen in surprise of his older brother's words and his cheeks became just a little red. The look on his face is that of bewildered nd being touched by Itachi's words. His older brother complimented him. Although he did in the past, this is the first one Itachi gave to the teenager after returning back into a vampire. Of course Sasuke would be surprise to hear those words, and be left a little breathless.

'…_I said I would…'_

But that face left as soon as it came and Sasuke's back to his foul behavior. "Hmpth." He looks away and says, "Don't flatter me. It's your fault you were so weak and this job was supposed to belong to you, but someone ran off to become human so I became the replacement."

Well the moment was good when it last.

"Was father too lazy to take the job then?"

"What do you think?"

Brothers…why can't they ever get along…especially these two?

Trying to lighten the mood again by changing the subject, Karin this time asks, "Well, ah, Itachi-sama. Are there anymore questions for Kimimaro or Juugo?" There she goes with that sweet voice of hers again that's driving Suigetsu up the wall.

Itachi stares at his brother a little longer and his stubborn behavior, before asking, "If Kimimaro-san is a vampire and Juugo-san is human, why do they smell the same? Their scent is similar."

Juugo answers, sounding rather grateful for the change of subject, "I suppose that's where the new mating laws come in."

"It happened by accident, really," Kimimaro excuses. "It happened shortly after I was released from Sasuke's care. Juugo was helping fix the roof that Naruto-sama unfortunately made a hole in." Sasuke glares at Naruto at the mention of that and Itachi just looks at them from the corner of his eye before giving his attention back to Kimimaro. Yep, that sounds like something Naruto would do. "But then Juugo slipped off the ladder and fell three stories off the ground." Kimimaro's grip on Juugo's hand tightens when he mentioned that. His lover had to pat his hand to reassure him that he's right here and that was a long time ago. Remembering that day must have been the scariest thing to have ever happened to him. "Since vampire blood is basically like a cure all and he was dying on the ground right in front of me, I didn't hesitate. I bite my wrist and had him drink my blood from the wound. I only planned to give him a little bit but his wounds were worst than what I expected. He had to take a lot more blood for complete recovery than what I anticipated. Then out of lack of blood and me not being that old as a vampire, I bite him out of instinct. Sasuke had to save us once again and he stopped us before either of us drained the other dry. What we've done was similar to how two vampires would mate, but biting a human as he or she drinks your blood only created what humans would all an engagement. It later became known as a 'claim'. A bond that binds a human and a vampire together, similar to the mating bonds of two vampires but different. Unlike when the two vampires mate before or after they have their orgasm, there is no need for that when a vampire 'claims' its human."

Finally Juugo adds, "What we learned from this was the human will live as long as their vampire partner. We even age the same way and the vampire would only drink the blood of that human. However, one big difference between this 'claim' bond and a mating bond is vampire can put a 'claim' on another human or a human can be 'claimed' again by another vampire if their partner were ever to die. Being able to live and age as long as a vampire or not, a human is still a fragile being compared to that of a vampire. A new law was added that if any vampire drinks the blood from a 'claimed' human, than that vampire's fangs will be pulled and will not consume blood until his or her fangs have grown back. They're also not allowed to eat until then."

So this 'claim' is what Suigetsu and Karin were referring to. Since Karin is unaffected by the vampire venom, Suigetsu, being the jealous type with her that he is, his only option is to become a vampire himself and 'claim' her. Since it processes is like an engagement, as the mating between two vampires is like marriage, it sounds perfect for those two couple being the 'on' and 'off' couple that they are. A marriage sounds like too much of a commitment for them so an engagement fits them perfectly.

Now that's cleared and Juugo brought up another topic in hand, Itachi asks, "How is it possible for a vampire to consume food? Food becomes tasteless in our mouths once we've matured."

Naruto answers, "That idea happened a while ago before either of us met Suigetsu, Karin, Juugo, or Kimimaro." Then he nudges Sasuke, who looks surprisingly and unusually tensed. "Why don't you tell him, teme? You should be the one telling him all of these things."

"I don't want to tell him a fuckin thing!" he yells, standing up suddenly and speaking down on the vampire god host. His last bar of patience just flew out the window and went to the other side of the world. His sudden behavior took a lot of people at the table by surprise. Especially when he starts screaming, "What the hell is wrong with you and every fuckin person moving in this castle? How can you all just accept this guy and just spill the beans about every frickin thing about our lives, huh? He LEFT us twenty years ago and came back with the intentions of trying to murder us all and you just want to welcome him back with open arms and open files! Why not have Karin show him how our security runs while you're at it?"

"You're behavior is very immature, Sasuke."

Rather everyone expected it or not, it didn't change the fact that they were all surprised to hear Itachi say that, looking and sounding as calm and collected as ever. He just sits there, staring at Sasuke as he throws a tantrum. The teenager wasn't just tense when Naruto nudged him, he became unpredictably, very short-tempered.

"For accomplishing great power and completing heroic achievements, I would think that you have grown up since you were a child. But all you've become is nothing more than a selfish, little brat."

If Itachi's eyes haven't appeared cold before, they do now. The air in the room just suddenly feels very, very tense. Almost like Itachi turned the whole room into ice itself. The air is too cold, it becomes a bit difficult to breathe, and from the very core of your very essence, you can feel the every fiber of your being shaking with the intensity of his stare. It was like he became the demon lord himself. This beautiful, demonic vampire with eyes that could kill and decapitate you without mercy or hesitation. This stare even causes Suigetsu to just shut up like an obedient work dog and it even causes Karin to shake and tremble where she sits. Kimimaro and Juugo are completely speechless by how powerful his gaze on Sasuke is and Naruto just became a total blank. This stare scares him and even causes cold sweat to roll down his face. Compared to Sasuke, Naruto's protector is a little kitten compared to this tiger.

Sasuke on the other hand, he didn't expect his brother to look at him like that. But he doesn't appear that affected by it like everyone else. Only that one moment of shock that Itachi, his older brother and servant, would give him that look. He gains back some of his composure and he faces his brother head on. His fists are gripped into tight balls and he says, "If growing up means accepting you back into my life after the pain and suffering you caused, then I rather be a brat for the rest of my life than accept you, _nii-san_!"

When Itachi heard those words, his eyes widen in mild looking surprise while on the inside, he's more shock and speechless than the couple sitting across from him. He heard words like that years ago but to him, he just heard them recently.

"_**If growing up means sneaking off to Kyuubi knows where and separating yourself from everyone who worries and cares about you, then I would rather stay as a child for the rest of my life!"**_

Seeing the look on his brother's face and realizing the words that just escaped his own lips, Sasuke has that same surprise look on his face as well. His anger took too much control over him and he just blurted that out. For one second and one second only when he looked away, his face became crunched up in guilt and shame before being quickly replaced with frustration.

Without so much as another word, he turns around and heads for the door. It was a good thing that it was a double door; otherwise, he would have hit the maid that was pushing the cart of food that everyone else but him ordered. She let out a yelp when he came bursting out the room and stomping off to who knows where. While many watch him go with confusion of his behavior and one continues to stare at him with surprise, Naruto is the only one looking at his direction with very deep concern. So much in fact that he turns to Itachi with a pleading look on his face like a lost child looking for answers, only to see that same surprise expression that hasn't left the long hair vampire's face. Then…

_Bam_

"Ugh! Damn this whole castle to hell!" they hear Sasuke scream after probably punching and destroying something in the hallway with his bare hands.

That _bam_ defiantly made everyone, but Itachi of course, flinch from how loud it sounded and how it just echoed through the hallway. The maid was almost too scared to speak when she asked, "I-..Is everything alright?"

No one really had a good answer for her. Some of them are trying to recover from Itachi's demonic death glare and are now getting over the shock of Sasuke's sudden extreme temper. He's usually so calm and it takes a lot to push his buttons. It's like what Suigetsu said about something in him has changed but how it looks, maybe it's not a good thing after all.

To try and reassure the frightened maid, Naruto's face brightens up and he says, "Oh, Sasuke is just having a bad day. Don't mind him. He's probably going to go to the training room to blow off some steam. Did you bring the food?"

"Yes, Naruto-sama."

Now that the worst is over and Naruto's face is just beaming with joy with the delivery of his ramen, things begin to calm down. As the maid passes out the food, Itachi looks back down on the table to let his mind wander. What Sasuke did, lashing out at everyone, that was highly inappropriate but he does have every reason to be upset. It's not normal to accept someone like Itachi with his vampire killing record to be accepted so easily with only the punishment of turning into a vampire and becoming a servant to his little brother. But the words he said and after that dream Itachi had, they affected him in a way he hasn't felt in a long time since Shisui died in his arms.

"And here is the chef's sweet special, Itachi-sama."

The maid's voice and the sudden appearance of his plate takes Itachi off guard for a second, especially the food being presented in front of him. Before him on a small white plate is dango of all different kinds; mitarashi dango(covered with a sweet shoyu sauce), anko dango(topped with red bean paste), goma dango(sesame seed), and even hanami dango(three colored dango; red, white, and green). This plate looks more like a dango sampler dish than the chef's sweet special. And Sasuke ordered it for him…

"If there is anything else that you'll like, let me know," the maid says with her empty cart standing besides the door.

Kimimaro nods at her and says, "Thank you." She bows down respectfully and then leaves the room to let the vampires, and three humans, enjoy their meal.

Naruto instantly turns to Itachi and says excitedly, "Go ahead, Itachi-teme. Eat up! Trust me. You're really going to like it."

Well there isn't any doubt about that. Dango used to be Itachi's favorite food before he matured. He hasn't eaten it since then. Even after he became human in the Akatsuki. That part of him that used to eat dango all the time didn't feel like him anymore. Like he became someone entirely different compared to that little boy he used to be.

Itachi first takes the mitarashi dango and, just like how it was in the Akatsuki, everyone stops what they're doing to watch him eat. He's used to the staring and he's more fixated with dango right now. A part of his brain is saying that he's unsure on rather or not he should really eat but since the other two vampires at the table are going to be eating something, might as well go for it. He pops one into his mouth and pulls it off the skewer to chew and the second he did, the flavor just burst into his mouth of sweet and salty shoyu goodness. The best part, he was expecting to taste ash for eating human food. Not this undeniable desire to devour the plate as if it were the first meal he ever had in his life. It was like he just realized how starved he really was. The look of utter shock and sweet surprise became a major relief to everyone on the table. Even Naruto looked so greatly relived to see the older looking vampire so surprised, and very happy.

"Good huh?"

Itachi stares at the rest of the mitarashi dango in his hands with the dumbstruck expression still on his face and he tries to ask, "H…how..?"

"Like we said before, most of the updates that happened around here were created by Sasuke alone." Itachi turns his attention to Naruto as the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki explains, "He put in as much dedication into his studying as he did in his training. I'm pretty sure that the idiot memorized about every book in the library." Well hopefully not every book for the sake of his once innocent and young mind. "He studied the nutrition that blood carries that our vampire bodies need and did many experiments on how to apply that to regular food so we could eat again. Since I was hanging with him at the time, I suggested of just adding blood to the recipe. Tried and we added blood to the ramen broth. It was the best thing I ever tasted and ever since then, I fell in love with ramen. That solved the cooking but Sasuke went farther by trying to figure out how to eat fruit or vegetables again, while also being human safe. His experiment plant was a tomato plant. That teme would drive me up the wall at times. He would stay up all day and all night studying and experimenting and sometimes I had to order him to get to sleep. I don't remember the full details of it, but Sasuke figured out a solution and he practically devoured the tomato plant like he hasn't it in years, which is hypothetically speaking. Ever since then, we used his formula to grow the plants and the cooks wouldn't get upset if one of them cuts a finger and blood drips in the dish. So now, we consume food just like humans and we have three square meals of it too. But we still need pure blood. You can say that the food is only like a fake substitute in replace of the real thing. What usually happens if a vampire drinks pure blood then they don't eat very much afterwards. You can tell when a vampire is just craving for pure blood when they eat a lot."

"But that rule doesn't apply to you, Naruto-sama," Suigetsu says cutting in after taking a few bites of his pudding. "You would eat ten bowls of ramen for every meal before and after drinking real blood."

The blonde just rubs the back of his head. "Hehehe, what can I say? I love ramen!" He takes his chopsticks, picks up a big amount of the noodles, and blows on them before slurping them up like a happy child and candy.

Then the white hair human adds, "Another great thing about Sasuke's formula is that since it's also human safe, it also multiplies the blood cells in our bodies and increases our blood supply so we won't get drained completely if a vampire decides to take a taste at our blood two days in a row. We assume that the formula possible has risks but we've been living in peace for so long and have been extra careful to know what they are. Probably doesn't matter anyway since we're basically all still alive and we've been devouring all this food for years now."

By the time he was finished, Itachi didn't fully realize that he was munching on the rest of the mitarashi dango until he notices that he's only holding the wooden skewer. The incredible part is the once burning feeling in his throat he got after getting beaten up by Kakashi has now eased away until he can hardly feel it. These foods are amazing and his little brother thought of it?

"Did Sasuke think of the sun protection barrier as well?" the long hair vampire asks, now being fascinated with his little brother's accomplishments and while picking up the goma dango.

"You bet!" Naruto answers, his mouth half full of ramen. He swallows before getting all excited as he explains, "He found out that it's the sun's UV rays that cook our bodies like oil and a frying pan. The rays are a lot more sensitive to our skin than it is to humans, despite how indestructible it is compared to human skin. Every armor has a weak spot, they say. During that new challenge, that guy gave me even more stress on that more than anything. I kept thinking he was trying to commit suicide by burning himself. But he kept telling me that there is no one who he would experiment on like some useless sacrifice so might as well do it himself. I still remember the gallons of blood I forced down his throat so he wouldn't die on me!" Just remembering those times causes Naruto's soul to just leak out of his mouth and try to fly to the sky to heaven. Must have been a nightmare on his stress levels.

"Oh yeah!" Acting like he just remembered something important, Naruto goes to his pocket and takes out a needle full of a dull yellow liquid with the lid on. Itachi stares at it curiously as the blonde vampire rolls it down the table to him. He examines it closely once in hand and after he finished the goma dango and picks up the anko one this time. "You can have that! I got extra."

The look on Itachi's face when he looks back at the Kyuubi's Jinchuriko makes him explain, "That's another formula that Sasuke made as like a plan B should the barrier fail on us. Call it a sunscreen for us vampires but it's a lot stronger than ordinary sunscreen and it spreads through the body quickly before releasing its protection formula through the sweat glands in the body. Like a cure for the sun. Simpler, effective, and the quickest way to apply it instead of rubbing it on our skins. Every vampire in this castle has one and doesn't go outside without one because you can never know what's going to happen. But the teme made that formula after constructing the barrier for the castle.

"The barrier is not perfect. If I could describe it, I would say that the barrier covers and protects the castle like an ice globe that shots out from the stone wall surrounding it. However, the barrier is fragile but reforms itself as quickly as it can. Anything can go through it but the UV rays. If it's something small like bugs or birds, then no one will notice because the barrier would repair the hole they made instantly. But if it's something big, than it takes longer."

Amazing. Just absolutely amazing. Nothing else could describe the things that Sasuke has discovered and accomplished since his brother's absence. And they call Itachi a prodigy when Sasuke clearly deserves that title. In a way, the boy would make a better king than Itachi would. It's like Sasuke was giving the vampires a chance to see what the world is like to humans or returning those small enjoyments humans have given up on in order to become vampires themselves. Over the years, the boy truly has grown up to be a magnificent vampire; and Itachi had the nerve to say that the teenager hasn't grown since the last time they met. Talk about a stupid move.

As Itachi looks down at his plate with three skewers clean of dango and only the hanami one left, he twirls that one around a few times. His face is back to being a blank again but through those satin black eyes, Naruto can see that he's thinking about what happened earlier. "Hey, I know that after that little episode a while ago, you think badly of him but believe me. Sasuke is just as an amazing person you were when you used to live here." He got the older Uchiha sibling to look at him side eye with that blank expression still but Naruto continues. "We said before that these updates were made as like a message for you to come back home if you were still alive somewhere. Many started to believe you did die somewhere but neither your parents nor your little brother ever even considered the thought of it. If you ask me, I think that Sasuke thought only of you every day he studied and experimented, and in his training I always noticed he was trying to be just as great of a warrior as you are now. You were his everything. His idol, his inspiration, his obstacle, and most importantly, his most precious older brother he wanted to return home."

Even though he won't show it, Itachi really feels like dirt right now. It's not common for him to feel guilty, especially since being in the Akatsuki, but right now it feels like everyone is slapping him back into reality after the loss of his love. It never fully occurred to him that maybe he was being blinded with his great loss to see that he still had someone who thought of him as precious; someone who would have comforted him after Shisui's death if he had returned home. He swore to never let his emotions get the better of him and now look at where he's at. Who's the real selfish brat here?

He feels worst than dirt. He feels like shit.

Leaving his snack unfinished, Itachi sits up from his chair and heads for the door. Everyone watches him as he makes his grand exit without so much as a word to excuse himself or of any telling to where he's going to go now.

"Hey, Itachi!" Naruto calls right when Itachi has his hand on the door handle. He looks at the blonde vampire god host and he has hot ramen noodles cooling on his chopsticks in front of him. Instead of eating them, he's looking at him from the corner of his sky blue eyes. Then he orders, "You are not to follow any of Sasuke's orders for the rest of the evening."

Well he sure as heck didn't expect that. The confusing part is Itachi feels willed to obey his orders. He's not his master but he is his god, for say. If the Kyuubi's reincarnation orders a vampire to do something, they have no choice but to obey. It's like every vampire in the world is the Kyuubi's servant and him their creation master. Technically, he is and so it makes sense to obey. But why is Naruto saying these words to him?

"I have a feeling he might be doing something he doesn't want you to see so if he orders you to do something, you can have your own choice to what you want to do about it. I can't free you completely from him but I can free you for the night." Then he gives the expressionless man a goofy, friendly smile.

While still having not a single emotion pass his face, Itachi tells him, "I'm not going to search for him. My foolish little brother is on his own."

The blonde just shrugs. "Well it was just a precaution then. Nighty-night!"

Itachi nods to return the saying and then he's out the door and gently closes it behind him. Instead of walking right away, Itachi leans on the door a little bit for just a moment of thought. That's the only reason why he left. He needs to think and a walk might do him some good. Sasuke didn't give him anything else to do for the day, he completed his gardening duties, and Naruto did give him 'permission' to do what he wants for the night. Maybe a walk in the garden would be nice. He got the order to protect himself if Kakashi attacks again so he should be fine.

Kakashi…

Itachi was so caught up with the new updates of the castle that he forgot to ask why exactly Kakashi thinks of him so bitter and who this Obito character is. But yet again at the moment, Sasuke is clouding up his mind and he seriously needs to clear it.

He was just about to leave when he hears Karin plea, "Ne, Naruto-sama. Please tell me that Sasuke's been eating these past two days since his brother's been back."

Wait! What?

Itachi hears Naruto sigh from the other side of the door before admitting, "This is the second day he's skipped out on a snack or any kind of meal for that matter."

Suigetsu tries to say, "Well he just had a lot of blood, right? He did bite Itachi-sama, after all."

"Yeah, but when he bite Kimimaro, he ate the night before even though it was just one meal. Sigh. Sometimes I really just want to punch some sense into that guy. Besides that blood consumption, the last time I ever saw him eat anything was picking at small stuff at least once every several days. Now he's eating absolutely nothing."

Is Sasuke…trying to starve himself?

"When was the last time he consumed real blood?" Kimimaro asks. "If he had a large portion of blood after a long period of time since his last bite, his body will react in many dangerous ways."

"I know and that's what worries me. The last time that guy drank any real blood was nearly four months ago."

"But that was when I fed him." Suigetsu must have glared at Karin because then she asks in a rude tone, "What?"

But that was all Itachi needed to hear.

So that's why Sasuke was so touchy when he yelled out like that. Only moments after he yelled did the food come in and the teenager did look tense when Naruto nudged him. The smell of food was starting to push him over the edge and Itachi sure wasn't helping. But now is not the time to be feeling guilty about that. The older Uchiha all of a sudden has this desperate need to find his little brother and make sure he's okay because like Kimimaro said, a large portion of blood after a long period of time is not a good thing. It's the same as starving yourself for weeks and then suddenly eating a buffet worth of food. You get sick afterwards and who knows what 'sick' means in vampire language.

With silent steps, Itachi sprints off in search of his little brother.

* * *

"Madara, what's that?" Mikoto asks, approaching her mate from behind.

The vampire king sits at his desk with a letter in his hands and when he heard his beloved queen approach him from behind, her arms circle around his neck and her chin resting on his shoulders, he turns to her and flips the letter over to hide its contents. "Oh nothing, Mikoto. Nothing to worry about." He even places his hand over one of her delicate ones to assure her but she eyes the letter, not believe her king's words.

"It's news from Izuna, isn't it?"

No use hiding it. Madara lets out a sigh before he pats her hand and says, "We have at least five days before something extreme happens. But we might be expecting something in two."

Mikoto can hear the unhappiness in Madara's voice as she hears this. She sounds unpleasant herself as she asks, "Only two days? But the boys are not getting along as well as we hoped. Must time be so short?"

"I'm afraid so. I'm even shame to say that there is really nothing we can do about it. It's up to them to fix what's been broken."

Mikoto nuzzles her head closer to her mate before saying, "I believe in them. They might still be on bad terms now but I have faith in them. They are our children after all."

Hearing some encouraging words, Madara couldn't help but let a small smile grace his lips. "Of course." Then he turns his head to plant a small but loving kiss on his queen's lips. She accepts it with a smile.

"But Madara dearest," Mikoto calls after breaking the kiss.

"Hm?"

"If our boys mate with each other, what would you do?"

Madara raises a brow when he heard that. "Why ask such a silly question, my love?" He completely turns to her and pulls her closer so that she could sit on his lap and he can wrap his arms around her slender waist. "I've always suspected that their bond was something special and different compared to a usual bond between siblings. If there is real love between them, why would it matter if I have anything against it? I may be a king but there are things I cannot control, or even the Kyuubi himself."

Hearing his answer, Mikoto giggles. "That's why I chose you for my mate, Madara. You're so accepting and so sweet."

"As are you, my dear." Then he kisses her again and she accepts it in full gratitude.

* * *

One thing was for sure, Sasuke was not in the training room. That was the first place Itachi checked since Naruto suggested it. The Jinchuriki is with Sasuke twenty-four-seven, supposedly, so he should know the young raven hair prince more than anyone. But he wasn't there. So then Itachi asked any servant he can find if they've seen him. All of them shook their heads in no. Still unable to show it on his face, Itachi becomes more and more concern for his baby brother every moment that passes without finding him.

'_Where is he?'_ he wonders, after asking probably the twentieth servant he asked tonight. He's been asking so many humans, and some vampires, he's lost count. Not that it matters anyway. _'Where could he be?'_

As the long hair vampire leans against the wall, his hand over his eyes, he takes a moment to think of where his little brother could have gone. As his hand moves up to his forehead and pushes his bangs up, he thinks, _'If he's anything like the little boy I used to know, it would be a lot easier to find him. But it's been twenty years. Habits and places to think could have changed. The only thing that hasn't is his habit of climbing trees.'_ And just like that, a thought pass through his mind like a woman in a yellow dress after a long line of people dressed in dark clothing. _'The garden!'_

When Sasuke was younger, he would always climb trees and enjoy the view from the heights. Itachi always had to ask him to come down before the kid hurt himself. Besides that one time when the boy fell off because of his hunger, he never got hurt and would always land on his feet. Just like a cat. Even now as a teenager, Sasuke still does that. He wouldn't have climbed up a tree to watch his older brother nearly getting barbequed by a pack of hellhound puppies. Climbing up trees and observing from above. Hopefully Sasuke would be in one of those trees because that's where Itachi sure as hell is going.

Knowing his next destination, the older Uchiha sprints off again in a run with silent, elegant steps.

After many turns and long hallways, Itachi was only a few more turns away from the garden, and not once passing another servant, when the smell of blood hits his nose like a giant boulder pushed off a cliff. He had to stop suddenly from how much of an impact the smell had on him. From how powerful the scent is, there must be a lot of it and…it's not that far away. Just to check and deeply hoping that it's not, Itachi takes a small easy breathe of it. His body flinches when he recognizes it. It was the first blood he tasted since he's been a vampire so he knows it well by taste and smell. This blood belongs to his brother.

'_Sasuke!'_

With this confrontation, Itachi rushes to the smell, only to hear the sound of coughing echoing through out the hallway. The source of the smell and the coughing reveals itself to be a closet not too far from the entrance to the garden. Sure enough, he can hear his brother coughing on the other side of the door and his worry almost made Itachi want to tear the door off the frame. But he restrains himself from doing that in caution that he might frighten his little brother. Who knows how close to the edge Sasuke might be and if he's pushed any further, he might end up doing something drastic. So slowly and carefully, Itachi grasps the closet's door handle and silently twists it to gently open the door. Besides the massive wave of blood hitting him like a bullet shot out of the gun, Itachi's almost horrified at the sight before him.

Inside, Sasuke is on the ground, hunch over with both of his hands covering his mouth from the coughs. Neatness and order is essential while working in the royal vampire castle and from the looks of it, everything is a mess. There are things on the floor, brooms and mops either broken in half or completely destroyed on the ground in a pool of Sasuke's own blood that he's been coughing up. Then just to make it worst, the teenager vomits out more blood before coughing again. From the amount of blood on the ground, it's amazing that the teenager is still conscious. The amount of it on the ground may very well belong to a human who died by bleeding to death. Itachi can see that his brother is trying to gain back control over his own body but in his condition, it's very, very hard.

It was like the teenager was trying to get to the garden to clear his mind when his hunger started to get the better of him. Then he hid in this room to hide from anyone who could just happen to pass by and start panicking over hi,. The hunger must have been unbearable and trying to take total control over it must have been worst. Sasuke must have been fighting with two separate minds in his head; one sounding like a blood-thirsty monster and the other trying to remain sane. That could explain the mess and then finally, Sasuke ended up throwing up his own blood and then continued this ongoing cough, letting more seep through his fingers.

"S…Sasuke?"

Hearing his name and being called by that voice, Sasuke gasps and turns around to see Itachi standing at the doorway of the closet, staring at him with shocked, disbelieving eyes. Now the older Uchiha can see his little brother's miserable state. His skin is now sickly pale instead of the beautiful shine it had before as it also looks so thin and breakable to the touch. There's perspiration all over his face and neck and there's blood dripping from the corners of his mouth to his chin. The teenager's eyes are not only red from lack of food and blood but they're also blood shot. There are dark circles under those blood shot eyes and wrinkles all around them as if his eyes were sinking back into the sockets. When Sasuke looks up to see who called him, his eyes appear wide and almost wild as his hands, that are now covered in blood, are also trembling.

"Ee..Itachi?" he calls, his voice very hoarse and almost silent like a whisper. For a moment, Itachi couldn't say anything. It was too much to just look at the state his vampire master has become before him. Soon the shock became overcome for the both of them and Sasuke becomes the first by getting angry at the sight of his older brother standing in front of him. "What the hell are you doing here? Get out!"

But nothing happens. Itachi feels no desire to obey or feel as though he's being forced to leave his little brother to suffer in a closet by himself. This surprises both vampires when nothing happens. Then Itachi remembers Naruto's words.

"_You are not to follow any of Sasuke's orders for the rest of the evening…I have a feeling he might be doing something he doesn't want you to see so if he orders you to do something, you can have your own choice to what you want to do about it. I can't free you completely from him but I can free you for the night."_

'_Naruto-kun,'_ Itachi mentally calls in his head. _'Thank you.'_

But seeing Itachi not obeying his orders, Sasuke gets furious, adding another wrinkle to his already horrendous looking face. "I thought I told you to get out! Go! Skat! Leave me the fuckin hell alone!" Still not feeling the desire to obey, Itachi becomes determined to perform his next move. He needs to be strong for this.

"Not until you tell me what you're doing, little brother. Locking yourself in this closet when it's obvious you need to feed," he answers, sounding all in control and calm, unlike the miserable wretch Sasuke appears to look. The younger of them growls.

"I don't need to explain anything to you, Itachi! Just leave me the fuck alone!"

Itachi heard similar words like that before.

"_No! Leave me the fuck alone, nii-san! I don't want to talk to you!"_

Itachi felt a slight pang at the memory of those words and he suddenly approaches Sasuke. To the younger prince's surprise, his older brother is kneeling right before him and his hands grasped his pale, skinny wrists. Sasuke's bloodshot eyes widen when he sees the firm determination in Itachi's onyx eyes.

"I'm not leaving you, Sasuke!"

Four words, that's all it took for Sasuke to be stunned where he sits on the ground. He no longer says anything as Itachi tells him, "When I woke up as a vampire, you told me my blood belongs to you. But you don't take it. You could have but you chose not to. Now look at you. You haven't eaten in days and now you're suffering from malnutrition of lack of food and blood. Do you think I want my little brother to suffer like this any longer? You may have excellent control but even you have limits."

Sasuke could have given in right there but he doesn't. He can't give in. He can't. He needs to get away because, like Itachi said, he can feel his control slipping away again after only gaining a little of it back. With those hands grasping his wrists, he can feel the blood pumping in Itachi's veins and how with each passing pulse, it was calling out to him. He needs to get away.

The teenager looks away from the older vampire and tries to pull away while trying to still sound angry so he can say, "You have no idea what you're talking about, Itachi. I can take care of myself. I may be a brat but I'm not the same little boy you left behind!" He felt Itachi flinch for only a second before those strong, firm hands let his wrists go and then grasp his arms.

Soon, Sasuke's in the arms of his older brother, his mouth and nose pressed right up against the neck, and being coated with the warmth and security of the long hair Uchiha's body. He tensed up when Itachi's scent fills his nostrils. He tensed up so much, he didn't notice the hold around him getting tighter but he does hear Itachi's next words. "You are not a brat. I am. I left and abandoned you for twenty years. You worked so hard to call me back but I never did. I stayed away, recklessly controlled by my own emotions and never caring about the effects of my actions. It was wrong of me to call you that when you have every right to be angry. For what I've done, I deserve worst punishment than simply being turned and living in this castle as if nothing has changed. But Sasuke…You've kept your vow. The only thing that has changed over the years is you have become stronger and will one day make a fine ruler. A far better king than I would ever hope to be. You are my little brother and it pains me to see you like this. You don't have to believe me but please, as my master, take my blood and stop that pain you're feeling right now."

This pain in his chest…

This ache in his heart…

What is it?

Itachi has learned to dull and suppress any kind of pain rather it be physical or mental. He's even learned to block off emotions. But coming back home and spending time with the people here, it's like someone gave him the key and unlocked all that's he's locked up in the past. Even memories of not only his most precious love but also of his precious otouto and how much the boy used to mean to him. All of his efforts to become the perfect vampire-killing doll and his wall he worked so hard to build up are now crumbling away into dust. Light has forced its way back into his life and the one who created that hole in that never ending darkness Itachi used to be surrounded with is none other than the person he's holding so closely in his arms.

"But…nii-san…"

When Itachi heard that, he became surprise. So much in fact that he slightly pulls away to see Sasuke looking at him as if he were a child again. That tiny little boy with the most adorable, hesitant gaze the older Uchiha used to know and loved so much. When Sasuke called him 'nii-san' again this time, he sounded exactly as he did when he was a child.

"I don't want to hurt you…"

Now he's saying the same words he used to say when he first bite his older brother when he matured. In a way, it made Itachi feel very nostalgic. Then after so many years, Itachi's perfect lips curl up in a gentle, loving smile. He releases one hand to poke his little brother in the forehead, just like how he used to. It makes the younger one of them look shock beyond belief as Itachi assures, "I'll be fine. I won't die and leave you alone, Sasuke."

For a moment, it almost looked like Sasuke was going to cry. But he looks down and his bangs cover his eyes before Itachi could confirm it. The teenager leans his forehead against his brother's shoulder, inhaling his wonderful scent. "You promise?"

Itachi holds him closer. As one arm wraps around the smaller vampire's waist, the other is lost in his raven hair locks to push him closer to his neck. "I promise." And this time, he means it.

Before Sasuke bites him, his arms shockingly rise up and then cling to his older brother as if he were holding on for dear life. In a way, it surprises Itachi but at the same time, it brings him utter bliss to be holding his little otouto like this again. Then the teenager begins to advance to the bite. The long hair vampire suddenly feels a tongue licking against his skin and a small shiver rushes through his body from the simple contact. His little brother always did bring up these small reactions in the most simplest and easiest ways. He can hear Sasuke let out a shaky moan from just tasting his skin and for an unknown reason, it arouses him. After the tongue come the fangs. They didn't bite him just yet. It almost felt like either Sasuke was taking his time or he was still trying to stay in control before he could completely lose himself. His long, sharp fangs brush against the small wet area he just licked – the very tips of it lightly scratching against the skin. Itachi can feel a moan just begging to be released from the feeling of Sasuke's fangs on him but he keeps it back. He needs to be in control when it's obvious that his brother cannot.

Then he takes the bite.

This time when Itachi feels Sasuke's strong bite on his neck, he didn't stop the sudden gasp that escaped his open mouth. His mouth is partially open as if releasing a silent cry of how strong these fangs are when they broke through his skin. His muscles tense and Sasuke's hold on his body tightens as his nails dig into his brother's skin. That first gasp wasn't the only one that came out as the bite deepens. Itachi releases several as he had to free his brother's waist in order to use it by holding himself up before he could collapse on the ground. Now sweat begins to appear on his skin as the pain continues. He grits his teeth to try and bear with it and his eyes are closed shut. Sasuke greedily sucks his older brother's blood and his nails dig in deeper as his hunger thirsts for more. Itachi needs to calm down and breathe. It'll be over soon. He just needs to stay calm…

Then the pleasure comes flowing in. Itachi releases one last sigh out his mouth as his expression relaxes and Sasuke's nails stop digging so deep into his skin. The older vampire begins to stroke his brother's head as if he were calling him a 'good boy' as the pleasure arouses him even more. He hears Sasuke moaning in gratitude, which provokes Itachi all the more, and the teenager continues with his greedy, large intakes of blood.

"Slowly, Sasuke," Itachi cools, his voice sounding as if he were breathing. "Not all…at one time." And then he begins to pant.

This pleasure… oh how he missed it. Before, he would have it almost all the time and it sort of became an addiction to him. Sacrificing his blood for the sake of the most incredible pleasure his baby brother would give him every time he would bite him; he would do that in a heartbeat. He never fully understood why he would love it so much. He just knew that after that pain of Sasuke's fangs in him, he would feel that pleasure and it was always something he would look forward to. Now feeling it again, it was like a shot of alcohol after being sober for so many years without professional help. So good and he yearned for more.

Not too terribly far from the two siblings came the running footsteps of their parents. Madara and Mikoto were simply taking a walk together in the castle when they smelled the faint scent of Sasuke's blood in the air. Instantly, they came running to see what was wrong, using their highly sensitive nose to follow the scent and track it to the source. Right when they turned at the corner, they see the closet door open, leaking out the strong scent of Sasuke's blood and now revealing their sons inside and sharing a bite. They stopped where they are and their sons are so caught up in their own feelings of ecstasy to notice they're there. It took them a moment to get over the shock but when they did, relieved smiles appear on their faces.

Mikoto turns to her mate and says, "I told you they would patch it up."

Madara smiles warmly at his queen, raising one arm to rest on her shoulders before saying, "And I told you that there is nothing to worry about." He pulls her close and kisses her head as she giggles from the small offered affection.

"Come, let's go," she tells him, "before they see us. We'll send in a maid to clean up the mess in about an hour."

Hearing that now causes a slightly perverted smile to appear on Madara's porcelain face. "Do you believe they might _do_ something, my dear?" She shrugs her shoulders.

"You never know."

They smile at each other one more time before walking away to give their boys some privacy, now with relief lifting up their spirits and the certainty that nothing bad will happen.

Meanwhile, Itachi now lets out small but deep moans escape his lips every time his baby brother took a suck on his blood. Sasuke must have listened to him because unlike his once greedy and demanding takes, they've slowed down and softened, causing the pleasure to intensify all the more. Nothing could beat this impeccable bliss Sasuke so generously is giving to Itachi at this moment. Absolutely nothing.

But then things begin to dull out.

The pleasure that was once so intense begins to fade away and Sasuke still has his fangs in his brother's body. The raven hair vampire prince is starting to drain his brother dry. Feeling the loss of the pleasure's full capacity snaps Itachi's mind back to reality after being clouded with lust and the yearn for more. His blazing red eyes that have changed since the bliss engulfed his entire being blinks in realization before looking back at the boy on his neck with a small but strong control.

"S…Sasuke…" he tries to call, his voice so soft and weak it would be amazing if he heard him. And he did. Hearing his name being called causes the teenager to stop. "Th…That's enough…"

Slowly but surely, Sasuke releases him. He pulls his fangs back and Itachi practically lets out a shaky breathe from how slowly and how slightly the pain was when he pulled away. Then Sasuke licks away the remaining blood on his older brother's shoulders and moaning from the luscious taste of his skin and his sweat. Nothing could taste any more mouth-watering than him.

Itachi takes a few minutes before he could speak again. As Sasuke leans against his shoulder for a moment of rest and both of them pant from what just happened. It felt like both of them ran a hundred miles at full speed without stopping and are now totally exhausted; one from the long and difficult torment of trying to stay in control and the other from the intensity of a vampire's bite. It was amazing on how much of a voice Itachi still had when he asks, "Do you… feel better now… otouto?"

"You…" His voice sounds like a breath as Sasuke continues to pant to regain the air back into his lungs. His eyes are no longer red from hunger or blood shot, the dark circles have disappeared, and he looks just like his usual, beautiful self but his onxy eyes appear to be a bit hazy. Like he's not fully here. "…taste better than tomatoes."

Hearing that causes the older brother to let out a small and light hearted laugh. Oh, he remembers the first time he heard that line before and the memory return causes him to laugh just like that. He pets his baby brother's head again as he says, "Well I'm glad to hear it. I didn't think there was ever anything you liked better than tomatoes." Then his petting stops and a serious look appears on his face. He holds his brother a little closer before nuzzling his nose into the soft, raven hair. _'Never again,'_ he declares in his mind._ 'I'll never leave you again, Sasuke.'_

"You know something. I was happy when I recognized you."

Itachi didn't expect to hear that. He looks down at the boy who spoke just now and there's a small bit of confusion in his eyes. Then he feels Sasuke's arms wrap around his torso to pull the boy closer to him and feel more of his comforting warmth. In a way, it makes Itachi surprise. He was expecting Sasuke to return to his stubborn self but now, he sounds like as if he were still a child. What the older Uchiha couldn't see was the small genuine smile on Sasuke's lips when he spoke again.

"I really was. You finally came home. You finally came back to me after so long. But knowing why you came back and that your sword was threatening me, it made me very sad. My brother that I wanted to come home after all these years was gone and replaced with someone who wanted me dead. Someone I didn't recognize. I was really sad, nii-san. Then you said you hated me. I wanted to die so badly after I heard that."

In the beginning, Sasuke actually did sound happy but then that happiness soon faded away into sadness and the boy's hold only tightens even more as he buries his face into the nape of his older brother's neck. Remembering that as if it were months ago but really only a few days, the guilt comes back and this time, they slightly appear on Itachi's gorgeous features.

"Sasuke, I didn't-"

But he couldn't finish.

"Nii-san…" Suddenly Sasuke's hold releases Itachi's chest and his hands smooth their way up to the man's face. They cup that stunning, elegant face before the teenage prince raises his head up to face his brother. "Why…why did you leave me behind?" Looking at him face to face, it was like Itachi is seeing a depressed and broken self of Sasuke when he was a child. His onyx eyes are filled with so much sadness and angst and they shine in the small light from the hallway outside the closet. This teenager that portrayed the strong, independent facade is now appearing before his brother in a fragile and delicate appearance. It looked like at any moment now, the boy was going to break down crying. "You broke… so many… promises. Did you have any thoughts at all to how I would feel about you leaving? How hurt I would be? Why… couldn't you choose me?" Either it was Itachi's imagination or the effects of the lost of blood, but Sasuke's face is moving closer to his. Now he can feel the boy's breath on his lips and taste that undeniable taste of blood. But it's not the blood that surprises Itachi. It's how close his little brother is to him. "I was, and still am, willing to do anything for you. You have no idea how much I've missed you. I'm so… so sorry."

Itachi wanted to ask what he's apologizing for, again, but it's so hard trying to speak or even think when someone's little brother's delicate looking lips are closing in on his own. "Wait, Sasuke. What are you-"

But he couldn't finish it, again. His little brother closes the gap between them and then plants a soft but desperate kiss upon his lips.

It was at that moment that nothing made sense anymore.

**

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**

And there you go! Enjoy the little cliff hanger. Oh don't worry. I'll have the details to the kiss next time. But how was it? Good? Bad? Itachi's finally starting to wise up, huh? But what is Sasuke so sorry about? Gotta wait and find out. I promise that I will upload as soon as I can once I get settled in school. Shouldn't take me too long. Thank you and review, please! See ya!


	18. What the Heck Happened?

**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry that I haven't updated this one in a while, and started a new story, but I've been depressed and this story was just a little too happy for me to write. That's why I started 'Would you Love me?' If you haven't read it yet, then it would make me a little happy to know if it's going okay. The morbid, freaky, and scary stuff will come soon. Right now, it's just normal and a little suspicious.**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. Because if I did, I would have Kabuto die a long, agonizing, morbid death. I'm sorry again for taking so long and I know I said that I would have Itachi be a little possessive but the chapter became too long again so I divided it into two chapters. So double the treat I guess. Thank you for those who have faithfully reviewed and please keep them coming. They make me so happy to get one and they inspire me.**

**Oh and someone asked me about Sasuke's and Itachi's feeding. I know that they're kind of going the blood cycle here, Itachi feeding from Sasuke and Sasuke feeding from Itachi, but I just wanted to get the point out that a vampire's bite is similar to the feelings of sex. If it's wanted, it can be very pleasurable and when it's not and that person is killing you, very painful – like rape. But for Itachi's first case from turning vampire into human, he didn't want it and that's why it was painful, but deep down unconsciously, he did and that's why he felt pleasure later. I hope that helps.**

**Thank you and enjoy.**

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Ch. 18: What the Heck Happened?

When Sasuke woke up, he felt unusually warm.

'_Ah… wh-..where?'_ he wonders, opening his eyes to the morning light. For a moment, he couldn't recognize his room.

Compared to Itachi's, Sasuke's Rosewood Victorian bed is nowhere near a window. It's on the opposite side of it in the corner with white bed sheets, white pillow covers, and a blue comforter. Besides him is a wooden counter with a clock that says it's already six in the morning. Not too far from his bed and counter is a Shoji sliding door that leads to his walk-in closet and only a meter or two away is the door to his bathroom. Interesting how he has a small Asian room accessory when his room is mostly European design. It almost appears that everything is clustered together. Except his light oak desk and three bookshelves which are placed right next to each other is in the corner on the opposite side of the bed on the other side of the room, directly across from his bedroom door and placed right next to the window. Like Itachi's room, Sasuke also has a white marble balcony with a big glass window door leading to it and he has the fire place in the center of the wall the desk and bookshelves are up against. His blue and white curtains are usually closed when he wakes up since he always closes it before he goes to bed. But now they're wide open for him, allowing the morning light of orange, red, and yellow to come shining in from the dawn. It most certainly brightens up his room and causes his navy blue and white walls appear purple and orange. The orange he can live without. He already has to watch over a guy who absolutely loves orange to death and tried many times to make him like it too. His mind is too foggy to recognize his room right away and he had to see all of it over a bigger but slender shoulder. Seeing that he's in his room, Sasuke closes his eyes and decides to go back to sleep and cuddling closer to the warmth engulfing his body. He can spare another few minutes before he has to fully get up and go over to wake up his brother for another day anyway.

Hold on!

Warmth engulfing his body?

A slender shoulder he had to look over to see that he's in his room?

His eyes instantly snap open and his mind immediately cleared up for him to realize that he's leaning against a firm and also warm chest and that person's strong arms are wrapped around his body; which actually means his waist and shoulders. For the love of the Kyuubi he can feel hands just resting on his lower waist and the back of his head. Quickly he looks up to see who's hold him so close and he sees none other than his older brother still sleeping soundly with his baby brother in his arms. For a moment, seeing his sleepy face causes Sasuke to instantly fluster up in a deep shade of red. But then his mind worked quick and he paled a second later.

"Get the frick off me!" he screams, instantly pushing Itachi off the bed. The long hair vampire woke up the second his head hit the floor and he's in an uncomfortable position with his legs on the bed and the other half of the body on the floor. Sasuke on the other hand is up against the wall as if his brother was the biggest bug he's ever seen.

"Ow…" the younger Uchiha hears Itachi moan. Then he greets, "Good morning to you too, otouto."

But Sasuke still screams, "What the hell is wrong with you? If you had another nightmare, go to Naruto! He'll be more than happy to cuddle up with you!" He must be really freaked out because he forgot the fact that Itachi might still want to kill Naruto despite receiving the order to protect him.

However, hearing his words causes Itachi to be a little surprised. He pulls his legs back and properly sits up and asks with his arms on the bed, "You don't remember what happened last night, do you?"

Sasuke doesn't know if he blushed madly again or he turned pale enough to match the white sheets on his bed. It was one second he felt his insides twists and the next his blood ran cold. He leaps off the bed, Itachi having to duck to miss him and he turns around to see Sasuke running to the bathroom. He just sits there and watches as Sasuke slammed the door the instant he was inside. That was the fastest Itachi has ever seen him run. There was a moment of silence before the older Uchiha could literally see the stress and angry flames leaking through the cracks of the door.

Oh no.

Then the door slams open, creating a rather loud bang against the door and Sasuke has his hand on the door frame, hunched over, panting, and at least three veins pulsing on his head with angry flames encouraging them. This is surely not good.

"What the HELL, Itachi?" he screams. "I thought we frickin mated or something!"

Why is he so loud so early in the morning?

'_Well he always was an early riser at night,'_ Itachi says, remembering that small fact about his brother. The boy would always wake him up by jumping on his bed, bouncing on him, and/or pulling his hair just to get Itachi out of bed when they were younger. "You have clothes on and you don't have a bite mark on your neck. You're fine."

That just added a fourth vein.

Trying to sound as he calmly can with a crocked grin on his face, the corner of it twitching, Sasuke says, "Yes, well, the way you said it made me panic."

"Why? Do you want to?"

Veins gone and fire out, Sasuke jerks up into a straighter standing position and looks at his brother in gasping shock. Itachi on the other hand is just sitting there with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a raised brow. Several minutes passed before Sasuke's blush returns, and so did his screaming.

"Don't even joke about that! What's wrong with you? Are you sick in the head?"

Itachi looks to the side and accuses softly, "I'm not the one who doesn't remember what happened last night."

Hearing that, Sasuke calms down; a little bit. He first looks down at the ground to try and rummage through his memories. But he doesn't remember. His mind is a total blank to what happened. All he does remember is leaving his Jinchuriki and his so called friends in that small dining room with Itachi because the smell of food was getting to him. He thought he could handle it but the situation and the pushing of telling his vampire killing of a brother of all people of his great discoveries and the updates that happened since the guy left, it was all too much and he lost his temper. It was like a cat not getting any food and while in its anger of starving, had to be given a bath. Then he needed to think and was heading for the garden and…and….

…nothing…

Only the painful burning in his throat and the twisting of his insides. His head felt really, really hot and he couldn't see straight. Everything was a fog and he kept walking into objects, luckily no servants of any kind. He felt drenched with sweat and it felt like his head was being torn in half. His insides were twisting in many painful twists and knots and the burning in his throat soon felt like someone had really sharp, long, hard nails and was clawing at it. Then something was starting to rise, slowly but surely in his throat, and it was going to escape through his mouth. That much he knew and then he ran to the closest room and it was a closet. Entering that closet and slamming the door behind him was the last thing he remembered.

"Since you seem to know so much, why don't you tell me what happened?"

From the panicking to the angry to the embarrassed to the confused, this boy just had another mood swing to standing there casually with his arms crossed in front of his chest and looking down at Itachi as if he were the scum at the bottom of his shoe. He's willing to listen but he's looking down on his older brother like he's the superior. Technically, he is but he doesn't have to rub it in.

But Itachi doesn't answer him right away. He sits there, looking up at his little brother with a blank expression on his face, satin black eyes holding so much depth in them, and his mind wandering off to what happened the moment Sasuke's lips touched his.

_**

* * *

**_

Last Night…

"_I was, and still am, willing to do anything for you. You have no idea how much I've missed you. I'm so… so sorry."_

_Itachi wanted to ask what he's apologizing for, again, but it's so hard trying to speak or even think when someone's little brother's delicate looking lips are closing in on his own. "Wait, Sasuke. What are you-"_

_But he couldn't finish it, again. His little brother closes the gap between them and then plants a soft but desperate kiss upon his lips._

_It was at that moment that nothing made sense anymore._

_Itachi's eyes darted wide open and his mind completely turned off when he felt those soft, blood covered lips pressed against his own. Something completely set off in his mind and he had no idea what the heck it was. He had no control over his body, nor did it feel like his limbs could move at all. But his senses did work and that was the good thing, otherwise he would have missed the moan Sasuke let out, the feel of his hands holding his face tighter and shifting his body to move closer to deepen the kiss, and the surprising yet satisfying taste of his little brother's mouth when the boy started to suck on his lips just once more before Sasuke's tongue darted in his mouth without any resistance. Rather it was the taste of blood that still lingered in Sasuke's hot canvas or just the taste of Sasuke himself, it didn't change the fact that Itachi's body finally reacted._

_The taste… it was just too…too…_

…_mouth-watering and absolutely irresistible._

_The younger Uchiha sounded very happy when Itachi responded to the kiss with an even deeper kiss and his tongue fighting for dominance. Itachi's hand that was supporting their weight moves and takes its proper place wrapped around the boy's slender and beautiful waist while his other hand is still lost in Sasuke's raven locks and pushes him closer for a more intense kiss. The long hair vampire could imagine that his brother would fight a little longer and harder if he didn't have a fogged up, half shut down mind. His instincts and emotional state is all that's keeping this boy awake and moving, but for now, he allows Itachi complete dominance over him and surrenders to his magnificent tongue that's sending wonderful electric shivers up and down his spine._

_Itachi was attacking his brother's mouth and devouring him like a starved man consuming a meal that he hasn't had in weeks. Sasuke just tasted so good and he yearned for more. He wanted to hear more of Sasuke's pleasure-full moans every time his tongue brushed against his, feel more of the boy's body with his curious, wondering hands, and taste more of this desperate yet generous mouth responding firmly against his own. Made him wonder on what his skin would taste like._

_Then it was time to breathe._

_They both separated and Sasuke's gasping breathe just aroused Itachi all the more. While the boy's eyes are still closed, Itachi starts planting butterfly kisses on Sasuke's soft cheeks, his eyes, forehead, and nose until he reaches the corner of the lips that still has blood on it. The young prince moans longer, deeper, and softer as he feels his brother's tongue licking his blood off his face. Just feeling that tongue against him is beyond incredible. This time as his intestines are twisting around in his lower abdomen, it's a good twisting around._

_The taste of his skin is beyond delicious. Sasuke's skin tastes a lot better than the dango Itachi had a while ago and it even tastes better than his blood. This skin that has the same shade of pale white shade as fresh milk and the sweet taste of honey. How could this boy, this boy that was always so close to him, could actually be the very thing he desired and be more than willing to just devour him completely right now. Never before has he ever felt more aroused and greedy to just take his little brother where he stands. When the blood was cleaned off Sasuke's face, Itachi was going to kiss him again; devour those now swollen lips and bring back that unexplainable feeling he just noticed he would get when Sasuke's lips were against his._

_Never before has he ever felt so complete and whole._

_Not even when he was with Shisui._

"_N…no!"_

_When only Itachi's breathe barely brush against Sasuke's did the boy push him away and he keeps his hands on his older brother's shoulders to make sure he stays away._

_Now he's confused._

_Sasuke begged first and now he wants to stop?_

_Then the younger Uchiha prince shakes his head back and forth, his face facing the floor and his bangs hiding away his eyes from his older brother's view. "No…I can't…" he mumbles, his voice rather pitchy. Was he going to cry again?_

_Itachi lost all sense the moment he felt Sasuke's foul-mouth but soft and innocent lips against his own. He grasps one of Sasuke's hands and kisses his palm then his wrist. The boy still doesn't look at him but Itachi felt him jolt at the first kiss and then he noticed how his face heated up when he gave him the second kiss. He leans closer, holding that delicate hand with care, and he says, "There is nothing to be ashamed of, Sasuke. I'll take care of you."_

_Where are these words coming from? How could one kiss cause this much of an effect on him? Make him forget where they are, who they are to each other, and what happened before this moment? Why on earth, from all of his years of experiences with other vampires, and sometimes humans, would make Itachi want to surrender to his baby brother, obey his every wish, and handle him with care?_

"_It's not that," Sasuke mumbles back, shaking his head again. Itachi raises a brow when he heard that and then the boy's hand grips back the hand holding his. "How can I do this without forgiving myself? And how can I forgive myself so long as you can never forget? And how can you forget without knowing the truth of what happened that day?"_

_That day?_

_What does he mean by 'that day'?_

_But before Itachi could ask what his little brother is talking about, Sasuke just suddenly loosens his grip and collapses on his brother's shoulders. Of course this causes the older vampire to panic and look at his baby brother's face, only to see him asleep with a tear stream already rolling down his face._

* * *

Sasuke lost consciousness from the excitement and the intense feelings he received from the bite, the blood, and the kiss. It was too much for someone who practically puked about every drop of blood in his body. With some sleep and the food Itachi is willing to force down the boy's throat in the morning, he should be fine. And with that, Itachi calmed down, telling himself to breathe several times, before carrying his baby brother on his back; like he used to long ago. He figured for the sake of the boy's pride, he would carry him like that instead of carrying him bridal style.

Then the maid from before appeared and she was pushing the cart of empty dishes away. When she saw Itachi, first she blushed and then told him about a message Naruto wanted to give him. She passed on that King Madara is with him right now and is willing to watch him for the rest of the night since he knows that Sasuke would be unavailable for the night. It gave Itachi stress to know that his parents probably saw them, rather it was the bite or the making out. Either way, he knows that his parents might panic about it or they would be perfectly fine with it and say some kind of comment without any pride at all to their words. Just thinking about it made Itachi want to hide away in his room and never come out. The maid also gave Itachi the last piece of dango he didn't finish and he gladly took it. Sasuke took quite a lot of blood out of him and there is no way that he would just be fine with a lick of several blood trails. He wanted more too after he finished the dango but his baby brother comes first and he left after excusing himself from the maid.

Itachi carried Sasuke to his room, grateful that he didn't move to a different room, and placed him on the bed under the covers. When he saw the room, he was surprised that it was clean. He remembered lecturing his little brother on how much of a mess it was and now, it's just as clean as his. Rather it was the maids or Sasuke himself who cleaned it, he didn't know. He was just fascinated with the fact that it's clean. Then he was going to leave but thought better of it when he took a second look at his sleeping brother.

One thing was for sure that rather Sasuke's mind was all fogged up because he was drunk on blood or he just had a mental break down, it didn't change the fact that the kiss was real. Itachi really didn't want to leave. He wanted to hold the boy in his arms again and never let go but knowing that the boy's helpless behavior was only temporary, Itachi would get into some big drama in the morning if Sasuke wakes up with him next to him. But his desire to stay was more powerful than how trouble-some it'll be to hear Sasuke screaming at him. That and he wanted to ask Sasuke some questions not only about the kiss but also what the boy's so sorry about and what he meant by 'that day'. So he climbed into bed and held his baby brother close as the boy snuggled closer to him. He must have recognized the warmth and touch of his older brother and in a way, it made Itachi smile again. His brother will always will be, rather he'll be throwing a tantrum or just being an ass, the most adorable and innocent little vampire to have ever been born. It was holding this untainted being so close to him that made him fall asleep right away, despite how young the night was.

"Well?" Sasuke asks, starting to get a little impatient as he starts tapping his fingers to his arm.

In his mind right now, Itachi is debating on telling him about the kiss and his words of apology or not telling him. Of course if the boy freaked out so much that he almost had a panic attack about if they mated, who knows how he'll reacted if the long hair vampire told him they kissed?

But he still wanted some questions answered so…

"You were puking out blood in the closet and I found you like that. You tried to get me to leave but I stayed and gave you some of my blood since you were obviously starving. I am your servant anyway. You're supposed to take blood from me whenever you wish."

Sasuke flinched a little like a caught kid with his hand in the cookie jar. Quickly he gained back his composure and said, "But as my servant, what I do is none of your business unless I tell you it is."

"But as your older brother and being seven vampire years older than you, it is my business to know if my little brother isn't eating properly. Why are you doing that to yourself, anyway?" Itachi attacks back.

For a second, Sasuke's finger twitched when he heard that question. Itachi's eyes saw that and there became a slight change in his expression to show some surprise but then the younger Uchiha answers, "Until I free you from your servitude, you are nothing more than my servant. You are not my brother or the heir to the vampire crown so don't go acting all high and mighty to me or start that concern big brother crap. I've been just fine for the past twenty years without you and don't you dare go off lecturing to me about taking better care about myself either because the way I see it, you of all people have no right to lecture me since you didn't appear in perfect condition when you got here, a-ni-ki."

Unfortunately, he's right. Until Sasuke releases him from his wing, the long hair vampire has every privilege as a slave or a low class vampire. A weakling in the vampire race. Plus, Itachi really shouldn't talk like that since he wasn't taking care of himself either when he was with the Akatsuki. But he had his reason.

"_But I never see you eat! It's almost as if you're trying to starve yourself. Trying to punish yourself for something that happened, un."_

Diedara hit the mark perfectly that day. Itachi was taking his revenge against the vampires for being blood thirsty monsters and for killing his first love but he was also punishing himself because he couldn't save him in time. He just sat there with the dying human in his arms, unable to do anything about it. He wanted to die from feeling so hopeless and absolutely pathetic when he watched Shisui die.

In fact, he nearly felt exactly like that last night when Sasuke was vomiting blood and telling him to leave. If Naruto didn't temporary free him last night or he couldn't convince Sasuke to take his blood, Itachi didn't know what he would do if his little brother died from lack of blood. He lost something precious to him once. He never wants to lose someone like that again.

"You're right," Itachi finally says. "I don't have the right. But," then in super fast speed, Itachi goes from sitting on the ground Indian style to standing right in front of Sasuke. The teenager had to take a step back when he did that. Not because it surprised him that his older brother moved so fast but because the seriousness in his brother's eyes too him off guard, "that doesn't mean that I'm just going to stand by and have you refuse every blood or food offered to you. From now on, you are going to eat. Not just a few bites. You are going to eat full hearty meals or I'm just going to have to force my blood down your mouth. We can either do this the easy way or the hard way. You're choice. And if it'll make you feel better, I promise to eat more than just five bites a day."

Well that practically just killed the ice.

"Seriously, how have you survived these past twenty years?" But the boy just sighs and grumbles, "Don't answer that. You can eat if you want to but how much I eat or when I eat is none of your concern! It's way too late for you to start acting like my older brother so stop trying. Besides, I'm sure you had your reasons to quit eating. Not because you were trying to make sure you got your victims' attention, I'm sure."

'_Can you leave my methods of seduction out of this?'_ is what Itachi thought in his mind and wanted to say. Whoring himself is certainly something he is most definitely not proud of. Why did he choose that method again besides Leader making that comment that he's pretty enough to capture the attention of anything that moves?

Pushing that question to the side for now, Itachi agrees, "You're right. I did have my reasons and maybe one day I'll tell you what they were." Then he surprises Sasuke again by saying, "But from what I'm hearing about you, all I hear is nothing but great improvements and incredible achievements. There should be no reason for you at all to starve yourself."

Hearing that must have made Sasuke snap because similar to yesterday but now the roles in reverse, Sasuke's eyes suddenly went Arctic cold. His onyx eyes become unfriendly, harsh, and they give the message of total rejection to the man standing before him. It took Itachi off guard by how powerful the feelings are in the eyes and his little brother tells him in a deep, dangerous voice, "You think you know everything, but you don't. I have my reasons and unlike you, I'm not so willing to share." After a fast recovery, Itachi was going to open his mouth to say something when Sasuke quickly interrupted with, "Before you go on with another one of your oh so brotherly lectures, I order you to go to your own room, get cleaned up and dressed in fresh clothes, and wait for me. Today you're accompanying me for the day since I apparently can't leave you alone without someone trying to get you to bite them or beating the crap out of you. Tell me you understand."

And this time, Itachi feels willing to obey. Naruto's release was only for last night and now that it's morning, the long hair vampire is back to obeying the orders of his master without any resistance against them or any will to disobey them. But he knows that he wants to. He wants that sense of freedom back so he could confront his brother again about his help but with this damn hold on him, all he can say is:

"I-I…I understand."

"Good. Now scat!"

For the love of Kyuubi, damn it!

Sasuke will win this round but Itachi will win the war against him. He comes to that declaration before turning around and heading for the bedroom door. He's going to get Sasuke to eat, even if he has to give it to him mouth to mouth. Yeah sure, the moody teenager is going to get a kick out of that since he took the waking up in bed in each other's arms so well. But it's going to get food in his stomach, or even blood in there, then Itachi's willing to try it. Strange how he feels so determined to get his brother back to health and wouldn't mind kissing him again. What this Akatsuki doll needs to do is find himself a therapist.

"Hold on," Sasuke calls, stopping him. Itachi only had the door open just a creak before his brother called him. He looks over his shoulder and Sasuke orders him, "Tell me the rest of what happened. You didn't finish."

Tell Sasuke the truth and freak him out or leave him in the dark and Itachi will be left to think about the kiss they both shared in the closet. Tell the truth or left in the dark. Truth or dark. Truth…dark…truth…dark…

"You fainted and I carried you here. Nothing else happened."

**

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**

And next is chapter nineteen, 'A Love that Can Never Be'. How was this though? Good? Bad? Let me know, kay?


	19. A Love That Can Never Be

**A/N: And the chapter with Itachi possessiveness. I hope you enjoy this chapter like I hope you did with the one before it. I will repeat that I DO NOT OWN any of the Naruto characters or the story itself. It belongs to Kishimoto. Thank you for those who have reviewed and please keep them coming. They make me happy and they inspire me to write. Thank you and enjoy.**

* * *

Ch. 19: A Love That Can Never Be

_Knock_

_Knock_

"Hey, dope. I'm coming in."

Without so much as re reply or permission to come in, Sasuke twists the knob open and enters. Itachi fallows right behind him, partially wanting to teach his little brother some proper manners but this is probably his daily routine. The boy has grown up to be so crude.

As ordered and planned, Itachi goes to his room and cleans up. That's day two he didn't take a shower at night and he slept with yesterday's mess on his body. Day two, huh? He's only been here for two days and his emotional behavior and his view on things have changed so much. It must be the happy smiles, the accepting gestures, and the slaps in the face for what he's missed that's changing him so much. That and that kiss sure changed a lot of things. After a shower, and he can probably imagine that Sasuke is taking two to get Itachi's scent off of him, the older Uchiha changes into some fresh clothing and he waited like a good little vampire servant. It wasn't long after that that a maid came in with some food. This time it was some rice balls with kelp and they were just as delicious as the dango. Though of course, Itachi asked if Sasuke got anything to eat, since he knows that it was probably his little brother himself who ordered the food to be delivered, and the maid said no. Out of silent and hidden frustration, Itachi asked the maid to bring one more thing as fast as she can before Sasuke could come. She did and when Sasuke came in pick him up, his older brother did a surprise attack and forced in a piece of candy down the boy's throat. Sasuke was not a happy camper. It was bad enough he woke up in his brother's arms and now he got a piece of candy down his throat and he hates sweets. That was fun and luckily the maid ran out of there before Sasuke even arrived to Itachi's room. Now as they walk into the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki's room, Itachi has a rather sensitive bump on his head and Sasuke has slightly red eyes from nearly choking to death not too long ago. At least now he doesn't look as pale as he did yesterday. So long as he ate something, Itachi is willing to take a hit in the head any day.

Inside the room, the place pretty much looks a lot like the room that Itachi and Deidara broke into when they first arrived – the one that had the dummy lying on the bed instead of Naruto himself. But the difference is this time is Naruto is on the bed in a rather unattractive position. He looked like he was splattered on it and his arms and legs are either still under the covers or over it. In fact, it's a miracle at all that even a leg is under the covers. The others are wide open and he's snoring with his mouth open and droll running down his face. If Itachi and Deidara really had seen Naruto like this in his room, they probably would have thought they came in the wrong room.

Both Uchiha siblings approach the bed and as Itachi is wondering how the blonde vampire god host is comfortable in that position, Sasuke just calls out. "Open your eyes, idiot. It's a new day and if you get up right now, you will no longer be grounded for giving this perv a drop extra of your blood."

Wait, what?

If it weren't for the 'perv' part, Itachi would have been just fine with hearing about being given an extra drop of blood. Getting a drop of Kyuubi blood is like getting a booster for _anything_; healing, powers, defenses, speed, and agility. It's like the ultimate power booster for vampires. It works on humans too, definitely. The boost it gives on the human body is like ten times better than it does for vampires. But getting too much of it might damage the body greatly. That's why there is a law of not giving Kyuubi to just anyone. Its powers are so great that they 'sealed' away its powers by keeping it inside the body at all time. But if what Sasuke just said was true then that would explain how his broken spine was able to heal so quickly, as well as the rest of his injuries of that night. He never really did find out how he healed so fast and so many other things were happening so he never got the chance to ask. However being called a 'perv' for hugging the boy in his sleep, he should have told Sasuke the truth.

"I don't want to be grounded," Naruto grumbles, squinting his eyes shut before rolling over and burying his face in his pillow. "But five more minutes, please."

Sasuke just rolls his eyes before saying, "You need to get up. It's already been three months already and you know what that means." Itachi became a little confused when he heard that but then all of a sudden, Naruto jumps up from his bed like he just heard his favorite video game finally came in the mail.

Quickly he asks, "Not here yet, right?"

"Nope."

Then Naruto's off the bed and the slamming of the bathroom door came a second later. The boy moves faster than Sasuke; so much that he left a trail of dust in his path. All Itachi could do was first stare at the bed in surprise as the sheets glided back down to the mattress and then stare at the bathroom door. He turns to his little brother and asks, "What was that all about?"

Sasuke only got as far as opening his mouth when the bathroom door swung open and out comes a wide awake, smiling happily Naruto with brushed spiky hair, clean teeth, fresh breath, and the personality of ready for a new and shiny day. "Good morning my two temes!"

Like he hears this every day, Sasuke greets back, "Good morning, dope." When Itachi didn't say anything, the younger Uchiha next to him had to nudge the guy as a hint.

"Good morning," Itachi greets again, feeling a little weirded out all the more with this blond vampire.

Naruto smiles brightly at the two of them before going up to Sasuke like an excited child and he asks, "I'm not grounded anymore right? No more endless hours of study and boredom."

Like he's repeating himself, the younger prince answers, "Yes. I hereby free from the indoors."

Instead of bursting with joy and jumping up and down like Itachi thought he was going to do, Naruto instead places his hand on his protector's shoulder and gets a little bit too close for personal space. "Perfect." Then he kisses him and instantly Sasuke accepts the kiss and returns the small affection back.

What…the…hell?

Only three seconds after the Kyuubi Jinchuriki gives Sasuke a kiss, and one second to realize that they are kissing, Itachi pulls his little brother away from Naruto and he slightly glares at him. Naruto looks blinking surprise and Sasuke is shock that his older brother did that.

"What are you doing?" Itachi asks, sounding just a little bit protective.

But then Sasuke sounds bored as he answers, "What are you getting so worked up about? It's just a kiss."

Exactly! A kiss!

"Rethink your words, little brother. A kiss is more than just a kiss and you know that."

"You're not going to give me the lecture on how sacred a first kiss is, are you? Because I lost mine a long time ago."

Wait, what?

"I'm sorry?" Itachi asks, just making sure he heard his little brother correctly.

Then he hears Naruto laughing nervously behind him.

"Ahehehehehe….That was my fault," he admits. "I asked him on what a first kiss feels like and he told me that he never had one. We decided to try and research it but then there was an accident in the library and I fell on top of him."

They what?

Sasuke excuses, sounding like this is no big deal when it really is. "We were both young and we were curious. It really wasn't your fault." He lost his first kiss for Kyuubi's sake!

But besides that, there is one thing Itachi is really dreading when he heard that his baby brother and the vampire god's host tried to research a first kiss. "What section did you try to look it up in?"

They both answer, "Kakashi's section." He was afraid to hear that but thank the Kyuubi they didn't read a page about it since they experienced it, hopefully.

"And now Naruto practically greets anyone with a kiss," Sasuke adds, adding another weird fact about this strange and unusual blond vampire. "Boys, girls, Suigetsu, Karin… Just so long as they're not 'claimed' or mated. He kissed Kakashi one time when he didn't hear that he mated and Obito was really upset when he found out."

Naruto kissed Kakashi and…a person name Obito got upset?

Hearing this spark interest on the older looking vampire.

"Kakashi…found a mate?" he asks, surprised.

But as he's surprised his first bite found someone, Sasuke and Naruto look a bit surprise that Itachi sounds surprised. That's right, he doesn't know. Realizing that, Naruto suddenly looks really sympathy and gloomy and Sasuke looks to the side, almost in guilt. This is a mood swing. What happened?

Naruto becomes the first to answer, "A long time ago. It was very shortly after you left that the two of them met. Obito was your cousin from your father's side; Izuna's child."

Izuna? Now that's a name Itachi hasn't heard in a while. Last time he heard that name, or even saw the man, it was when Sasuke was born and after his first vampire birthday. Izuna is Madara's little brother and they had some kind of conflict before Madara mated with Itachi and Sasuke's mother. Then they separated and haven't seen each other in decades. Izuna came a few times like for birthdays but only Itachi's and Sasuke's early years. They haven't even kept in contact with one another, or at least not that Itachi knows.

"Uncle Izuna had a kid?" he asks; outside appearing sort of surprised but on the inside, extremely taken back.

"Yeah," the blond answers again, nodding. "They came here after you went missing and wanted to help the king find you. Kakashi and Obito worked together and eventually, they mated but that was years after they started to work together. I think eleven or twelve years, right?"

Sasuke corrects, "Thirteen, actually."

Naruto shrugs. "Well anyway, they could hardly stand each other at first but then they warmed up to being friends and very soon after that, mates. Kakashi-sensei was never happier, but then you killed his mate."

What?

"I _killed_ him?"

Sasuke corrects, "Actually, neither one of us really found out who killed Obito until we read your file from the blood we took before your trial." Well that's strange. Blood interrogations usually are not that accurate. Not even a specialist of blood interrogations can discover details that well defined. "But all we knew at first was Obito was working in the Suna country as volunteer work temporary. Kakashi would take the long trips to get there to visit him when he was bored but then there was a fire and by the time that Kakashi got there to find him, he claims to have been attacked by a man in a black cloak and a scythe."

'_Hidan?'_

Itachi's daily attempted-to-be rapist? That's who gave Kakashi that missing eye?

This time, Naruto adds in the rest. "Kakashi-sensei told us that the last thing he remembered was being catch off guard by the hunter and right when he swung his scythe at him, Kakashi-sensei was fortunate enough to get out in time to miss the full force of the blade but his eye was not. That explains the bandana he has covering his eye. Or that's part of the reason."

Itachi looks less surprised than he did before and this time, he only raises a slender brow at the blonde's words. "Part of it?"

"The other part is he implanted Obito's eye into him." The full force of the surprise came back and he turns his full attention to his little brother when he bluntly said that. "When he was sure the men in the black cloaks, or your little group known as the Akatsuki, have left, he went searching for Obito. Only to find him barely alive and poisoned. He stayed there and he watched him die." Exactly how Itachi experience Shisui's death. "He came back with his body and he asked for his mate's eye to be transplanted into him. He calls it as a way to keep a part of him with him but he swore he would kill the ones who took Obito's life – a.k.a. you since you're the closest Akatsuki member here."

Then silence fills the room like a new style of music blasting at full volume. It became unsetting and deafening. But it gave Itachi time to rethink what he just heard. Kakashi lost someone just like he did but Kakashi's been with Obito for years and he mated with him. Personally, he's surprised that the spiky hair man would find someone. He liked reading them but never been interested in actually having the relationships he reads about. There's no denying it then. Love makes you do strange, crazy, unexpected things. But besides that point, Kakashi lost Obito a lot like how Itachi lost Shisui. A village in flames, your love hidden in that fire – lost and on the verge of death, and you racing against time to find him and wish for nothing more than his life and safety. Itachi understands that very well. He also understands the feeling of revenge and undying hatred to those would steal away your love. But what Itachi doesn't understand is the sense of betrayal to know that the person you had once associated with, maybe not smile and laugh with but had pleasant experiences with, would be willing to do favors for that person, and even consider him to be your friend is the one who took that love away. Sasuke and Naruto mention who exactly killed Obito, but hearing how he died he can guess, but Kakashi truly and utterly believes that Itachi is the one who killed his mate and he's heart-broken. How can someone ever forgive someone like that? How?

"Oh yeah!" Naruto suddenly cheers, getting out of his gloomy phase and back to happy sunshine. Well that was unexpected. Both Uchihas turn to look at him and they see him just beaming with never-ending joy, and just a second ago he had a thunder cloud hovering over his head. "I didn't greet you yet, Itachi-teme!"

Oh no…

Right when Itachi opened his mouth to protest, Naruto already has his arms circled his neck and his lips are already pressed against his. It's just one kiss after another and at this moment, the older Uchiha brother is a little too shock to even move. First kissed by Sasuke and now Naruto.

"Naruto, you have three seconds to get off him."

Confused by his protector's words, Naruto does break the kiss but his arms are still wrapped around Itachi. Both of them turn to Sasuke but instead of being jealous or glaring at them like they were expecting, they see Sasuke facing the bedroom door. Then two seconds later…

_Slam_

"Sasuke-kun, good morning!" A vampire girl with short pink hair, emerald green eyes, ivory white skin, a wide forehead, and a slightly masculine figure appears slamming the door open and something behind her. First she was all smiles and cheery attitude but as soon as she saw Naruto on Itachi, she lost that smile and quickly grabbed the door. Only her head was peeking out this time and she asks, "Can we come in? Ahehehe…"

Sasuke just answers, "Enter," and as fast as lightning, Naruto is off Itachi and on the other side of Sasuke to get far away from the older Uchiha has friendly possible. Okay…

Receiving the permission, the vampire girl smiles again before carefully opening the door to let herself in. "Forgive me, Sasuke-kun. I came in so fast I slammed the door against the wall, again."

"Control your emotions next time, Sakura. But for now, there is nothing to worry about. You weren't interrupting anything."

You might as well call what just happened between the person you're supposed to protect and your brother nothing! Is that what it was? Nothing?

The vampire girl, or Sakura, still smiles at the raven hair before moving to the side to reveal what was behind her. "You can come in now, Hinata."

'_Hinata?'_ Itachi wonders, hearing that familiar name. _'Hyuuga Hinata? But I heard the Hyuuga clan went extinct.'_

Looking up at the door way, the three male vampires see one female human. A young girl who only appears the same age as Naruto and Sasuke with long silky black hair down to her waist and the most unusual eye color; silver as if she were blind. But the way she looks upon the three vampire guys, she can see. Her skin is almost vampire color, appearing so pale and smooth and soft to the touch. Unlike the taller girl who's holding the door open to her, this human looks more feminine, especially around the chest. Lovely curves, slender arms and legs, and delicate features similar to that of a white, gentle lily with a hint of red on her cheeks. Comparing the two girls who have just arrived, Hinata is like delicate flower blooming in the moonlight as Sakura is like the sun bursting with good nature and youthful energy – so much in fact she almost broke the door and the wall. Actually, there's a dent in the white wall if you look close enough. Sakura is wearing a red vest shirt with a turtle neck collar, dark grey tight shorts about three inches above her knees, a pink skirt over it, and knee length boots as Hinata is wearing a white sleeveless dress that's two inches below knee length with a heart-shape collar and white one half heels. Sakura appears ready for action while Hinata looks ready for a date.

Itachi is surprise that this black hair girl who appears rather shy looks stunning as Naruto looks breathless. Hinata first looks down at the ground, her fingers twisting around each other, and she takes moment glances up at the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. "Um, good morning, Naruto-sama."

"Uh.." is the first sound that can come out from Naruto's mouth at the moment. Sasuke eyes the blond as Itachi looks him in curiosity. "G-good morning, Hi-Hinata." Now Naruto is the one looking at the floor, his cheeks red and trying to hide his embarrassment as Hinata is fidgeting his fingers even more and her cheeks are redder than ever. Looking back at the two, Itachi can only think of one thing.

'_Oh. I see.'_

Before speaking, Sasuke lets out a sigh and says, "Take all the time you need, Naruto, but not too long."

Now the blond looks at him in surprise. "Why? Where the heck are you going?"

"Have you forgotten, dope?" He grabs his older brother's arm and starts dragging him to the door. "No one besides me and Sakura are allowed to watch you two." When the two of them heard that, their faces instantly exploded in read.

Watch Naruto and Hinata do what?

Quickly, Sakura asks, "Well if you're leaving, Sasuke-kun, can I come?" with a high pitch and flirty voice. What is with this girl?

Sasuke stops right at the door to answer, "Someone needs to watch them if I cannot."

"Oh alright," she says nervously like she just said something wrong, making her sound like an idiot. "I'll stay. But…" Then like how Itachi pull Sasuke away from Naruto, all Sakura had to do was grab Itachi's wrist, pull him away, and stand right in front of Sasuke a little too close to the older-looking Uchiha's liking. She's even holding Sasuke's hand and she's fluttering her eyes at him. "…you'll make it up to me later right? We can have a double-date and maybe this time, you'll agree."

Beg your pardon?

"I'm not of age yet, Sakura. Remember?"

"I know but it doesn't mean you can't agree. I can be patient."

Okay, this has to stop now.

Switching back the pulling back roles, Itachi not only grasps Sasuke's shoulder but also the wrist connected to the hand Sakura is holding and he pulls his baby brother away from this pink hair, wide forehead flirty vampire. For some strange reason, the older Uchiha brother really wants to scorn a girl he just met. "Pardon me, but may I advise you to keep your hands to yourself and to not make any inappropriate remarks? I suggest controlling your emotions immediately."

'_It was just friendly flirting,'_ is what Sakura wanted to say but Itachi is glaring at her as he's looking down at her. All of a sudden, she feels intimidated under his glare and this vibe she can feel omitting from him. Another gorgeous Uchiha with a glare that can kill. What a package.

"What are you? My priest?" Sasuke snaps, snatching his hand back from his brother's grip. Now where is this attitude coming from? To be polite and answer Sakura's question, the younger vampire prince faces her and says, "I'll think about it, Sakura. So long as it doesn't disrupt our duties."

Besides the duties part, what?

Calming down after that little dangerous incident, Sakura smiles again and gets right back into flirting. "Of course. Which is why I suggested a double-date. But if you want, I can try to find a date for your brother and make it a triple-date."

An immediate answer became, "That won't be necessary. I believe he might be quite alright with helping Suigetsu in the bathroom."

Wait. Wasn't he was one who said he can't leave Itachi for a minute without someone trying to use him or beat him to death? Suigetsu was the one who tried to use him first!

"I heard about that. Tough ride."

"It's his punishment." With that ending the conversation for as long as he could handle, Sasuke grabs Itachi's arm again and leads him out the door. Before he closes it once both of them were out, he says, "Continue," and then he closes the door to give the three of them some privacy. But not just for them, for him and his brother as well. "What's up with you? Got something stuck in your ass?" he asks.

As calmly as he can, his voice an even dangerous calm, Itachi asks instead, "How about explaining to me who those girls are?" _Especially that pink hair one.'_

"Why? It's none of your business," Sasuke answers, now crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"If I am going to be staying in this castle, I believe it'll be proper to know who the residences of this castle are."

Not that fact again. First it was everyone else around them saying if he was going to stay in the castle, he should learn about the castle, and now it's Itachi himself who's saying it. Instead of glaring at the slightly taller man, Sasuke just has a blank expression on his face like he's searching for something – anything in suspicious on his brother's face.

He's serious.

"Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Hinata. That's their names. Hinata is the Kyuubi's host blood source and the only source of blood Naruto is allowed to drink. Sakura is her protector."

Now that is something that Itachi heard about. He may have not been here when Naruto came into the care of the Uchiha family and he most definitely did not hear about the Kyuubi's new blood source. He heard about it when he first studied the vampires laws and when he was taught the traditions of the race. When a Kyuubi's Jinchuriki is found, a Hyuuga is usually chosen to offer their blood to the god. The Hyuuga clan has what vampires call 'pure blood' running through their veins. The finest of blood in the world and the only blood any vampires believes to be worthy enough for their god. It will take nothing else.

"I heard that Hyuuga clan went extinct when the Kaguya clan targeted them. How is she still alive?" Itachi asks, also remembering some more Akatsuki gossip when he was a human. From the look on his face, Sasuke doesn't even want to know how Itachi knew that.

"As far as we know, she's the only survivor of her clan," he says. "So as the only survivor, it's a no brainer on who will be the Kyuubi's new blood source. Only she is the only one who can satisfy the god's cravings and lucky for them, Naruto doesn't have the venom to turn her."

He heard about that one too. Besides Karin being an exception, Naruto might be the only one who can bite someone just to feed on them; not turn them or kill them. The Kyuubi may have been the one to first create the vampires but for some reason, the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi has no vampiric venom. There's also one more thing about the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki.

With a softer voice, Itachi asks just to classify what he just saw. "They're in love with each other, aren't they?"

This time the look on Sasuke's face looks a little tragic but also there is some anger in it too. He feels sympathy and he's upset about it. "Yeah, but both of them are too shy to admit it in words so they go by action. But I hope you know they can never be."

Itachi nods. "Because the Kyuubi himself also needs to be pure."

The Kyuubi's Jinchuriki cannot mate with anyone. They cannot belong to anyone so if a Jinchuriki is in love with someone, all he can do is just watch and hope for nothing but happiness for the one he loves. It's a rather sad and lonely existence. Unable to love someone with all of your heart and soul without any complications or rules. All you can do is watch.

"Correct."

But if Naruto loves Hinata, then Itachi has another question to ask about this. "If he kisses people when he greets them, why doesn't he kiss her? Or her protector when she came in?"

"Because he doesn't want to hurt her," Sasuke answers like it's simple knowledge. "He doesn't kiss Hinata because to him, it might start something he might not be able to control, and how would you feel if the person you loved kissed someone else when you know he loves you?" He's got him there. Look at his reaction when Naruto kissed Sasuke, but from how the boy said those words, he sounds like he knows the feeling very well.

For now drop the subject and save it for later. "But they're happy like this aren't they?"

"Yes."

Then it really is sad then. You're in love with someone you can't physically be with but you're content with being with them mentally. In a way, it's admirable but sad all the same.

"The other reason why he kisses other people besides her is because he needs to release all of that affectionate love he has for her. I swear, I saw him hump a maid one time and I do not need to see that again. I think he traumatized her."

Didn't need to hear that. Maybe it's about time to change the subject.

"What of her protector? What is your connection to her?"

"I hardly have one." From anger sympathy to uncaring attitude, this boy really does have fast mood swings. "She's just being friendly."

"Then why are you allowing her to flirt with you when it's clear you're not interested?" And now Itachi is sounding a little upset himself.

"If I didn't think you're already a sicko, I would have thought you sound almost jealous. Though you have no reason to be. Sakura is supposed to be my fiancé."

Whoah, what?

Fi-fiancé? Since when do vampires get engaged?

"I beg your pardon?" Itachi asks, not fully understanding what his brother just said.

Sasuke corrects, still sounding like it's common knowledge. "Well technically she's not until I mastered the Full-vampire level, agree to the marriage, and confirmed it with father. I maybe seventeen vampire years-old but I have yet to master that form, or at least that's what I told her."

This kid is just one surprise after another. Now Itachi is really shocked, in his own collected way.

"You've mastered it but you didn't tell her?"

Sasuke shrugs his shoulders. "I have no interest in settling down and she is not fit to be my mate. Mother and father only choose her because not only is she from the Haruno clan and is the strongest of her people, but also because I refused to find a mate on my own when I've reached the proper age. They worry I'm not going to give them grandchildren in time before they die so they took action since you left." They really shouldn't have bothered. With the way they act, they'll be here for a very long time, and why does the younger prince sound like he's blaming his brother for putting him through this.

Besides that point, Itachi calms down a little bit before asking, "Are you going to agree to the marriage?"

Say no. For some strange and unknown reason, Itachi wants him to say no. It would be the right thing to do anyway. If you don't love someone then why would you commit to that person and that person alone? For them, once they make the commitment they can't get out of it. They're with them until the day they permanently die. But besides that, something else is secretly hoping that Sasuke will say no.

"One day."

Instead he said yes and that catches Itachi off guard.

"Why? Do you secretly love her?"

Sasuke looks at his older brother and he says, "Now I think you're crazy."

Resist the urge to roll your eyes. Treat him like how you treat the Akatsuki members, just not that cruel. Remain calm and ask the question. "Then why are you willing to go through a commitment when you yourself don't want it?"

"Because I can never be with the one I truly love."

Now that is an answer Itachi did not expect. Sasuke keeps eye contact with him for another moment before looking away. "The person I love more than my life, more than the whole vampire race will never love me back. I've already accepted that fact."

"Is t-this person…" Wahoo, did Itachi just shutter. He never shutters. But in his gut, it's not that he's afraid or anything. He's just in shock because deep down he knows, he knows who Sasuke is talking about. "…mated already?"

Sasuke still doesn't look at him when he answers, "I thought I told you already. That person ran off and died a long time ago. Went off and got killed in some battle."

What kind of battle? The battle between the Uchiha castle and the Kaguya clan?

There is a fifty percent chance that it's probably not that battle but if it is, who did Sasuke's heart belong to that died? Because Itachi sure didn't. He's standing right next to him. Unless he means something else…

Before Itachi could speak again, the door opens and the scent of blood comes spewing out. The scent of the blood truly us by far the purest thing that Itachi ever smelled before. Simple and sweet. No contaminations of any kind. It made Itachi relax instantly and Sasuke let out a soft, long sigh from the smell. It truly is the purest of bloods. Even someone who is 'claimed' to a human will want to taste this forbidden fruit.

The one who peek their head out is Sakura and she looks like she did something wrong. "Sasuke-kun, we're done. But…"

Uh oh.

"But what?" he asks, not liking Sakura's words.

Sakura first bows her head and quickly yells, "Please forgive me for this!" Then all of the sudden, she swings the door wide open and a yellow flash come running out. Sasuke felt a small breeze when that happened and all he has to do is look to the side to find his brother gone.

**

* * *

**

Oh boy. When Sasuke finds them, they're dead.

**How was it? Bad? Good? Let me know. See ya later, then.**


	20. Our Time Together

**A/N: Hello everyone. I have for you here the next chapter of You Only Mate Once. I have a question to ask all of you. How about we have a game? Just to try and lighten things up a bit, I have unleashed a story that will have a set of intros of stories I'm thinking of unleashing. Depending on the situations at hand. I know I still have a lot to compete but I can't help it and besides 'Naruto Cold Cases', some of my ideas are a little dry. Come on, lets be honest here. But anyway, I will be unleashing a question from not only this story, but also 'Would You Love Me'; you know the horror one I started? If you haven't noticed it or read it, I don't blame you. I am writing that story out of my own depression in life because things aren't going that well for me at the moment and I just have this need to kill something. Just trying to keep myself sane, you know? Besides that, for the person who gets the answer to my question right, that person can vote what story will be published after 'Would You Love Me', 'Naruto Cold Cases', and/or this story will be finished. I have several ideas so there can be a first, second, and third place. I have more rules about it in the story. But until I reveal who the winner is, please don't hesitate to look inside and roam through it to see which one you like.**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. If I did, I would many terrible things to the ones known as Uchiha Madara and Kabuto. Thank you for those who have reviewed and please keep them coming. They help inspire me to write and I love every single one of them. My question for this story will be revealed at the end of the chapter. Thank you and enjoy.**

* * *

Ch. 20: Our Time Together

"Ah! Isn't this refreshing, Itachi-teme?" Naruto asks feeling the wind in his hair and rush through his clothes. As he's completely enjoying this incredible feeling on top of the castle tower nearly at the edge of it, Itachi looks like he can sense his own demise coming at him sooner than expected. The icy breath of death is just breathing on his neck as Naruto is just having a grand old time.

"Sasuke is going to kill us both," he mutters. He can already imagine his brother right now screaming and yelling like there's no tomorrow. It's bad enough he started his baby brother's day with a heart attack and now Naruto is just making it better.

Naruto heard the distressed Uchiha and turns around to assure him, "Oh don't worry about it. You know he can't kill me and I know for a fact that he won't kill you."

Itachi's not too sure about the last part. He can only imagine the tantrum Sasuke is throwing after Naruto practically stole him away after Sakura 'betrayed' him for the Kyuubi.

"_Where the fuck did he go? Where's Naruto?" he'll scream, either at the spot Itachi was standing not too long ago or at Sakura herself._

_She might be bowing to him multiple times with glossy wide eyes like a puppy and a supposedly an adorable pout on her lips. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. But it was a direct order from Naruto-sama. I couldn't disobey."_

"_But now he has that useless whore with him!" He'll definitely call Itachi that, no doubt about it. "Just…augh! Never mind! I got to find them before that idiot ends up dead. What the hell was he thinking?"_

_Maybe Hinata will come out and either hide behind Sakura or hide behind the door. "He said something about wanting to talk to Itachi-sama personally about something but he knew he couldn't talk to him in private because you wouldn't allow it."_

"_Oh course I wouldn't! That guy wants to KILL the idiot! Sakura, I can understand but why didn't you stop him, Hinata?"_

_In her defense, Sakura might try to plea, "Oh please, Sasuke-kun. Don't get angry with her. Naruto-sama was very convincing with his words."_

"_Ignore the love of your life for once and use some common sense!..."_

"…But what am I going to do if that idiot get hurts? It's not about duties with me. I care for that guy and if anything should happen to him, rather he'll be raped or brutally murder, I would accept death for failing my life goal!"

Why is Naruto saying that while Itachi was imaging what's either going on this very moment or only minutes ago? And why is he holding a microphone? Where did he get that?

"What are you doing?" Itachi asks, stopping his daydream and wondering why Naruto interrupted it with those corny, nonexistent lines.

The blonde answers, "You were just imaging what kind of tantrum Sasuke would be having after I just stole you away. I'm just adding some lines for him to say."

Well thank the Kyuubi it was Itachi's imagination because there is no way in hell that Sasuke would ever say something like that. At least not when he's ready to explode into a flaming volcano mode and take Itachi's place as the next Demon Lord.

But the older Uchiha prince lets out a sigh in defeat. No use thinking about it now, especially since they're already here and Naruto took him away for a reason. "What are you doing, Naruto-kun? I don't mean the lines you just imagined my little brother to be saying at this moment. I mean bringing me here when you know he doesn't like it when I'm alone with you."

"Because he thinks you're gonna kill me?" Naruto asks. Bingo. But the blonde just smiles at him like he always does, only his smile is more gentle and sincere. "I'm not worried. If you wanted to kill me earlier, you would have done it a long time ago. You're a skilled warrior and I'm sure one hell of an incredible assassin. Even though Sasuke is strong, it's obvious that he lets his guard down when he's around you." The compliments didn't faze Itachi, nor did the fact that really could have just killed Naruto if he wanted to. But when the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki said the part about his little brother, his eyes widen slightly in external small surprise. "I brought you here because I want to talk to you in private. Something I know Sasuke would never agree to if I ask him." Then in a blink of an eye, actually less than that, Naruto moved from the edge of the tower to right in front of Itachi. He had to take a small step back because he was so close. Invading his personal bubble again. "Tell me. You know that Sasuke's starving himself right? Maybe not as extreme as you since you arrived here skin and bones, but you get it, right?"

Itachi's eyes widen a little more and his lips became a straight solid line. He gets it all right. The events of last night replays in his head; the blood, him vomiting and coughing it out, and him looking like a dried up, starving animal. At this moment, all he can think about is the bad incidents of last night. "I know about it. I witness it, but I don't understand why he would do that. His accomplishments are amazing and he has grown so much stronger than he was before. It just doesn't make sense."

When Sasuke was a kid, Itachi could read him as simple as reading a book. But now, nothing makes sense anymore. It's just like that time when Sasuke's behavior went from the sweet, innocent little boy to an antisocial, short tempered kid; like how he is now. However after twenty years, his new behavior has gotten worst, to Itachi's perspective. Maybe being as close as they were since tiny kids won't happen any time soon but if Itachi had a choice on taking the early stages of the new Sasuke and the Sasuke now, he would rather have the early stages of the new Sasuke. As confusing as that sounds, the older Uchiha prince just wants to be close to his little brother again. He never wants to go through that again. Feel as though he's nothing but a stranger to his baby brother.

"He'll get angry if I tell you the whole reason so I'll only tell you half. He's punishing himself."

When Itachi heard that, his eyes didn't get any wider but his mouth opens in shock. What did Naruto jus say? "Punishing himself? For what?" he asks, himself confused and practically demanding answers right now.

"For making you leave." And the Uchiha prince remains silent. Naruto doesn't have his smile anymore. He's first staring at Itachi to see if he'll notice anything else besides the speechless shock he's already experiencing. When he saw none and he can see that the Uchiha vampire wants some answers, his face sadness when thinking of his friend. "He feels it was his fault you left. Felt like he couldn't keep you here so to bring you back, he did all of those amazing things but when you still didn't, he started starving himself. I think he was losing the will to live and he wanted to feel pain. To be punished for what he did so he started eating less and less. Then you came back and he just stopped all together."

Now Itachi may be speechless but his mind didn't go blank enough for his brain to stop functioning. When he heard that, he knew the reason. "Because I came back for a different reason than the reason he wanted." It sounded more like a fact than a question and he's right.

"Yep."

"But that's still no reason to do that. He…"

Gosh, now he feels a lot worst than he did yesterday when they told him about every accomplishment Sasuke achieved, every move he made was all for him. In a way, it almost sounds like the boy lived for him and what did Itachi do? He ran off and tried to kill him when he returned. Seeing Sasuke like how he was last night was truly the worst thing he has ever seen in his life, like the Kyuubi was punishing him by making him see that. _'I never want to see him like that again. Not like that.'_

"Hey, do you remember when I told you I liked you but I also disliked you?" Naruto asks, summoning back Itachi's attention. This time when the blonde looks at him, he looks very serious compared to his usual happy self. "I said I disliked you because of what you've done to my friend. I care for him like a brother and for the tears you made him shed and the pain you caused him, I promised myself I would never forgive you for it. But then you came and you unleashed a whole different side of him that I have never seen. A side that shows how much he still cares about you. A side that has a heart." It's just one surprise after another. In a way, it sounds like the great genius of the Uchiha clan needs things to be spelled out to him. Naruto's serious façade softens and he smiles as he's now thinking of his dear friend. "I've always known deep inside that Sasuke is a kind and loving person but he doesn't want to get close to someone and end up losing them like how he lost you. He's afraid of getting close. I think out of everyone in the castle, he trusts me more; or at least I hope so. He sure talks to me more personally than he does with everyone else. Maybe it was because I was there for him when he cried."

_

* * *

_

What happened twenty years ago…

_It was shortly after I was discovered as the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki. My mother died giving birth to me and my father died a great hero. I was being raised in a village far away from here in the Suna country but it was terrible. No one really cared about me and I had no parents to love me so it was pretty lonely living there by yourself. But I did meet this one boy who was quiet and who was also a loner. He and I soon became good friends. Even to this day, I still think of him as a dear friend and wonder how he's doing. Then after a small accident, I revealed myself to be the reincarnation of the vampire god and I was sent to the Uchiha castle for safe keeping. The friend I made in the Suna country, I told him that we would meet again. I didn't know how but I knew deep in my gut we would. Then I left._

"_This is our god?" became the first thing that the king said to me. Instantly in his presence, I felt like I was in the audience of a father. He just had that look of him – kind, strong, wise; but I noticed that he looked stressed and a little tired. At the time I didn't know why but I know now that it was because his first son had disappeared and hasn't returned for days since a village was attacked by some blood-thirsty vampires few days ago._

_I didn't see the queen that day and now I wonder if he was sobbing over the disappearance of his son. You caused a lot of people a lot of pain, you know._

"_Yes," the vampire from the Suna country answered, bowing to the king. I suspected I had to bow and I was just about to when the king stopped me._

"_Don't bow, little one. By rights, I am the one who should be bowing to you."_

_He got off his chair and he bowed before me. I was just a kid so I was confused of why a king would bow to someone like me. "Welcome to the Uchiha mansion. I am the King of vampires, Uchiha Madara. As the king I swear by the blood that runs through my veins, I will protect you with all of my power until my dying breath." Then he stood up and smiled at me, a sad one. I would have been self-conscious about him making that kind of vow to me but I was distracted by the sadness on his face._

_He instructed a different guard from his castle to escort me to my new room and later he would give me a personal tour of the castle. I agreed since I saw that he needed a minute to collect himself and the Suna vampire left to his own country. Then on the way to my room, I heard crying. A little boy's crying. I have a much more sensitive hearing compared to regular vampires so I escaped my escort and ran off. That's when I met Sasuke. His cries were coming from a room that smelled a lot like you. I first thought it was his room but his scent is different from the smell of the room. I first tried to open the door but it was locked. The sound of it alarmed him._

"_Who's there? Go away!"_

_I got angry real fast._

"_Don't talk to me like that! Open this door!"_

_And he did. Just like that, I heard the door click and he opened it. It was then I really first saw him and he looked just as surprised as I was that he obeyed my command. If not, maybe more._

"_Wh-What just happened?" he asked softly._

_I answered, "I have no idea." I was staring at his face for a moment, taking it all in. He looked similar to the king so I suspected that he must be the prince and that was when I realized that his scent smells different from the smell in the room. I didn't understand at first why he was there but what I did understand was he looked like he was crying for days. Really swollen blood shot eyes, hair was messed up, and I mean more than usual, tear stains, dry or wet, on his face, and he looked like he hadn't consumed blood much longer than he's been crying._

_Since it was an awkward moment for both of us, I figured it was time I introduced myself. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto. I'm the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki."_

_His eyes grew wider, which I didn't think was possible since they were already wide from the confusion of him following my orders, and he repeated, "Kyuubi's Jinchuriki? That explains it then."_

"_Uh? Explains what?"_

_Then he looked at me like an idiot but I think because of my first order, he didn't sound as rude as how he wanted to sound. "When the Kyuubi's reincarnation makes an order, we vampires have to obey, no matter what it is. That includes me opening the door for you when I haven't done that to anyone else – including my parents."_

_When I heard that, I didn't like it for two reasons. Number one, I don't like to make people do something they don't want to do and number two, since the moment I got here, the castle's been nothing but depressing. I wanted to add some light to the moody castle but the first thing to do is find out what the heck is making everyone so sad._

"_Would you…let me in?" I ask him, a little meekly. I did after all just met the guy._

_He looked at me confused before he asked, "Why not just order me to let you in? I won't be able to refuse if you do."_

_He was trying not to sound rude when I could tell he wanted to be. So I took it as rude and said, "I don't like to make people do things against their will, so that's why I'm giving you the choice of letting me in or not. If you say no, I'll sit outside this door all night if I have to." Then he just stared at me, as if debating rather to let me in or not._

"_No." Then he slammed the door in my face. "No one is allowed in this room ever again! Except…"_

"_Except who?" I asked when he didn't finish._

"_Except my brother. No one else is allowed in here but him!"_

"_Well where is he? Let me look for him and maybe he can help."_

_He must have started crying again because when he answered, his voice was pitchy again. "He's not here. He's gone. He's gone…" Then he started sobbing again. So that was why the king looked so depressed._

_I asked, "Where did he go? On a trip to a dangerous land or something? I'm sure your brother is a strong guy. He'll come back, I'm sure!"_

"_How would you know?" he asked. "You don't even know him!"_

"_I may not know him since I just got here but I know he'll come back! There's nothing wrong with believing in someone. Did he promise you that he'll come back?"_

"_sob…y-yeah…"_

_I smiled when I heard that. "Then he'll come. Just believe in him and his words. I'm sure that he won't ever break a promise to you."_

_But then he said, "He promised that he'll come back, but…sniff…I know he's not…My brother is never coming back…sob…I'm never going to see my nii-san again…"_

_Then he started sobbing as if he had no pride at all. I bet even if he was in a crowd of strangers or even humans, he would have cried like that. He cried in front of me and I only met the guy for like two minutes._

_I asked him, "Why do you think that?"_

_Then he told me like sinful man in church. I can't tell you what he said because that's the other half of the reason of why he's punishing himself. That is something he needs to tell you, Itachi-teme. But after he told me, he continued crying and I was left standing in shock. They tell me I'm pretty good to giving people advice on their problems but with him, I had no idea what to say. He said that he can't ever be forgiven for what he did but he wasn't the type to not be forgiven. At the moment, I only thought of one thing._

"_Ne, what's your name?" I asked after long moment of silence and him crying._

_He tried to stop his tears and he answered, "M-my name is…Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."_

"_Well then Uchiha Sasuke, I demand for you to come out of your room!"_

_He obeyed. A minute later, he opened the door, his face looking down at the ground, and he came out and he closed the door before he leaned on it._

"_I hate liars. You told me that you don't like making people do things they don't want to do," he said, bitterly._

_I said, "I don't. But I'm not allowed in that room, remember?" He looked at me then, shocked to hear my words. I tried to smile at him before I hugged him. I felt him stiffen but I just held him tighter and I told him, "You shouldn't be alone, Uchiha Sasuke. Right now, you need someone to comfort you. I can tell. A friend maybe. I don't know what it's like but I can see that it's tearing you apart. I know I can't get rid of the pain but I can try and ease it a little. What do you say?"_

"_Oh Naruto, you're so nice and so warm. Thank you. Please, I beg you. Never leave me side."_

"_**I know you made up the last part," Itachi interrupts, not at all believing the last part.**_

_**Naruto asks, "How do you know? You weren't there and he was crying."**_

* * *

And the flashback ends…

Itachi is narrowing his eyes at the jinchuriki and he has his arms crossed in front of his chest as he says, "Because everything that you said up until now sounds like him. That did not."

And the blonde smiles, rubs the back of his head, and chuckles nervously. "Hehe, got me there then." Itachi's hardening gaze of 'stop fooling around and finish the story' got to the Jinchuriki and he went back into seriousness. "He didn't say anything after that. He just continued to cry. All he needed was a shoulder to cry and since he was in your room, he wanted you to be the one to comfort him but you weren't there. I can understand why he didn't go to his parents but to let a complete stranger like me comfort him in his time of need, I have to admit that I was honored and really happy. I made a friend the very first day I arrived here. He stopped crying eventually and he found out on his own that he can't cry forever. He had to do something and he started these new changes. He wanted to keep the promise he made to you and more than anything before he dies, he wants to apologize for what he's done. That's all he wants to do now. He wants you to realize how sorry he is. He's lived all these years with nothing but that in mind. That guy is one of the strongest people I know, but you know even he can be fragile if you know where to hit him."

Then silence fell upon them like rain pouring from the sky. Naruto said nothing more and Itachi continued to stare at him for a moment longer with a softer gaze than the one he had on before. In time, he looked away and he was left to think about the story the blonde just told him. They always said that a moon suffers alone. The stars only gleaming a small speck of life into their lives but the moon will always be the brightest light in the night, forever alone with no one to understand him but the brightest star in the sky; the sun who he'll never be able to reach.

"Naruto-kun, why are you tell me this?"

"Because I want to make sure you realize just how important you really are to him than how he acts. One day you're friends are going to come here and try to take you away. It's up to you rather or not you'll let them, but there are going to be consequences to your decision. Go with them and allow them to kill you and you know who's going to be affected the most about it. Now I'm not saying this for him, really. I'm saying this for me because I don't think I can handle losing him like how he lost you."

Nice save. If Naruto was only telling Itachi these things out of his own concern for his raven hair friend, he's going to be lecture to mind his own business. Really, this gap the two brothers have is between these two brothers. It should be of no concern to anyone else but them. However, Naruto claiming that he's only doing this to save himself an enormous amount of pain is a good excuse.

But it's only as good as the person who is willing to listen to it.

"You're right. It is my decision rather to go with them or not."

Before Naruto got the wrong idea for his words, Itachi looks at him with, surprisingly, a smirk on his face. The blonde jinchuriki was surely shock to see this expression on his face as the eldest Uchiha prince proclaims, "But until then, I'm staying here with my little brother. Obviously, he can't take very good care of himself and it's my job as his older brother and his servant to make sure he does."

Naruto sure liked the sound of that. It only took him a while to get over the shock of this guy showing any type of emotion besides observing, analyzing, and a look of disappointment. It soon became his turn for his lips to curl up on his face – only into a rather goofy and joyous smile. "Yep! It's time to be the servant and start taking care of your master. But there is one more thing I have to ask you." Well that became a little unexpected. Itachi eyes him curiously and then Naruto invades his personal space again, nearly close enough to almost kiss the guy. Itachi has been living a long time with having weirdos and people he instantly disliked come so close to him. So he wasn't surprised, especially since Naruto likes to get up in people's faces. What he was surprised about was Naruto's question. "Will you accept him? All of him? No matter what he did in the past?"

What he did in the past? What the heck does that mean? As far as Itachi knows, Sasuke's been doing nothing but great and grand things for the vampire race. And why does Itachi have to be the one to accept what he did in the past?

But then Naruto suddenly tenses up and shyly backs away. "I think I'll wait till later to hear that answer."

What?

"Narutoooooo…."

Oh. That's why.

Sensing the demonic energy from the Demon Lord's little brother, Itachi casually looks to the side as Naruto's head turning is shaking, hesitant, and very fearful. What they both see is none other a very stressed looking, fuming rage Sasuke with at least eight pulsing veins and a very dark and angry aura all around him. It was only a second later that Naruto hide behind the fearless Itachi. "Ah..h-h-hi, Sasuke-e-e…"

"Don't 'hi' me, usuratonkachi!" He screams at the top of his lungs. Naruto yelps and hides even further behind Itachi. Not that it matters anyway. It sounded like Sasuke is screaming at Itachi too. "What the hell were you thinking? Running off like that with HIM of all people!"

"Calm down, Sasuke. He just wanted to talk," his older brother tries to soothe. But all it does is enrage the younger prince all the more.

"Shut up, Itachi! Don't say a single word in his defense!" he orders, and as commanded Itachi has no choice but to obey. But maybe he can get around it.

"Then I won't but I will speak in my defense." Sasuke's anger falters a moment when he heard that. Naruto then looks up at the older Uchiha with a new ray of hope gleaming in his eyes as Itachi points out, "Your lashing out is clearly unwanted. He's alive, we're alive, the whole vampire race is still alive; I didn't touch him. You can relax."

But his brother doesn't look the least bit satisfied with that answer. He was just about to open his mouth to say something when Naruto suddenly cuts in.

"Ne, Sasuke! I have a great idea! Wanna hear it?" he asks, like an excited child at a carnival. What happened to his fear of his protector's anger?

Both Uchihas look confused for a moment before Sasuke asks, "Why should I?"

"Because I'm sure that everyone in the castle would love it as well. Why don't you and Itachi-teme have a spar!"

Wahoo, what?

Both Uchihas ask, "What did you say?"

**

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And there you go. How was it? Good? Bad? Let me know.

**Game Question: Who will win the battle? Sasuke or Itachi?**

**Thank you and see you next time.**


	21. The Fight Between Brothers Pt 1

**A/N: HOLY COW! I give up! It's taking me forever just to write this one stinkin chapter and I haven't finished it yet! Sorry, but there is some fighting in this chapter and I'm not very good at writing fighting scenes so since I feel really bad for not updating in like FOREVER – especially this story – that I'm splitting into this into two parts. But I promise you this, in the next chapter, there is going to be something s-p-e-c-i-a-l…**

**I do NOT OWN ANY Naruto characters or the Naruto story. If I did, then God as my witness I would MURDER Kabuto right now. I seriously wish that he would just DIE! Anyway, thank you for waiting patiently after so long and for those who have voted on who will win this fight, well the answer to that will come up next chapter. Sorry and I really hope you can forgive me. Enjoy!**

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Ch. 21: The Fight Between Brothers Pt 1

"Itachi, explain to me how we got here."

"I hardly understand it myself, little brother."

Actually what happened was right before Sasuke or Itachi could tell Naruto no, the blonde ran to the edge of the roof and announced to the whole kingdom that the two Uchiha brothers were going to spar. Next thing those two knew, they became overcome by the gleaming, excited eyes of not only the servants and workers of the castle, but also the nobles and even their own parents. Heck! Even Sakura, Hinata, Kimimaro, and Juugo were excited. So now both brothers are in the training room with at least a thousand workers temporary stopping their work just to see their exciting match. The training room is almost the size of a giant ballroom – at least three stories tall and three large houses wide. On the third story level is an indoors balcony and that is where the audience stays watching at safe distance in case the fight gets too exciting. Sasuke's friends, his fiancé, the Jinchuriki's blood source, Naruto himself, and the princes' parents are all clumped together in the center of that balcony while Kakashi is off in the corner, mixed with the workers. He's probably only here to see Itachi get a beating from his student, and hopefully killed; or he just wants to see just how strong the older Uchiha really is when he failed to show silver spiky hair man when he attempted to kill him.

"Don't call me that. I'm already pissed off and I do not wish to _accidently_ kill you."

He really shouldn't say that. It's already obvious that he wants to _intentionally_ kill Itachi for all the stressed he caused them for the past three days.

Naruto then raises his hands up to silence the crowd for a moment before screaming out, "Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to RUMBLE?" As the crowd cheers like an audience at a wrestling match, neither Sasuke nor Itachi could believe he just said that like that.

Itachi pinches the bridge of his nose as Sasuke angrily screams, "Naruto, shut the FUCK up!"

"Language, otouto," Itachi scolds like the older brother he is to a raging teenager.

"You never cared before!" Sasuke yells back, turning his attention to the man before him instead of the boy above him. "Why worry about it now?"

"Because you fainted right in front of me after puking out blood."

"Shut up! You think I want the whole kingdom to know?"

"Then don't ask questions you don't want to be answered."

Okay, now he's really making Sasuke angry. The boy already has three veins pulsing on his head and now it's increased to five. "You know something? I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass." He says this softly and dangerously while grasping for the handle of his sword behind him.

Itachi smirks at the challenge. Maybe this fight might be a good thing. As a human, he only saw a small bit of Sasuke's skill and with the knowledge of his little brother's hidden power is lightning, like Kakashi, and that his little brother has mastered True Vampire Form so maybe this fight could be fun. "Then try it."

'_Okay, let's see if I can still do this,'_ Itachi wonders, raising a hand up to shoulder level. Sasuke raises a brow for a moment before his older brother swings his arm down and a trail of fire follows it. Then his whole hand is practically covered in flames, his clothing not being affected by it but Sasuke can feel the heat of his flames even from his slightly far distance. It slightly surprises the younger prince and it surly surprises the audience.

Then Sasuke also smirks.

"For someone who hasn't used his powers in over twenty years, you sure pulled a fancy trick there." Sasuke pulls his sword out completely and it becomes completely surrounded with his lightning.

Itachi still has that smirk on his face "True. I haven't used my powers in a long time so I might be a little rusty but it doesn't mean that I can't go on instincts."

After a load of frustration, this satisfies the younger prince. "Then show me what you got, _a-ni-ki_."

"Gladly, little brother."

Both of their eyes begin to turn crimson red and both of their hidden powers got a little excited as well. Now things are heating up. The audience are all in 'aw's and 'ooh's when they see how wound up the two of them are getting. Sasuke almost appears like he's so excited about this fight, he can hardly hold still as Itachi appears calmly excited but willing to jump in any time soon.

Then they charge.

"Hold it, both of you!"

By the time Naruto ordered that, both Sasuke and Itachi halted right in front of each other; Itachi's flaming hand has his nails pointed right at his little brother's neck and Sasuke has his electrifying sword aimed straight for his older brother's chest. Close call.

Both of them are surprised that they were stopped right when they were just about to strike one another and now they're both practically frozen from going any further in their attacks.

Naruto then orders, "Calm yourselves down and back away from each other!"

And they both obeyed.

As quickly as they charged each other, they both back away to the same spots they were only standing a few seconds before. Itachi's arm is no longer burning, Sasuke's sword is not surrounded with lightning anymore, and both of their eyes returning to their original color. Kakashi made a 'che' sound when Naruto stopped them. Sasuke was just about to kill Itachi, he thought.

Quickly, Naruto apologizes, the whole audience going quiet, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But I didn't say 'go' yet! And we have rules."

Rules?

"What for?" Sasuke asks, sounding irritated like a little child being kept from going outside because he's grounded.

"In case you try to kill each other, teme!" Naruto yells. Great. Now he sounds angry. He slightly glares at his protector for a moment and Sasuke glares back. Itachi just looks bored. Can we start the fight now?

Suddenly calming down, Naruto announces, "Now then, the rules. Rule number one, no killing each other."

"Sure, repeat yourself, usuratonkachi," Sasuke mumbles.

"Rule number two, no going out of control and killing the audience."

Itachi mumbles, "Didn't plan on it."

Hearing him, Sasuke exclaims, "Well that's a surprise." His older brother gave him the eye for that.

"Rule number three, no destroying the castle."

'_What does he take us for?'_ the two of them though, now getting a bit tired of all this. They didn't even want this stupid fight for Kyuubi's sake! It's the audience who's getting all excited, not them.

"And rule number four, fight to the death!"

Wahoo, what?

"I thought you said no killing each other?" Sasuke yells to the dope above him. Now the audience is surely surprised. They never see him this worked up before, not even with Naruto before three days ago.

"I did," the Kyuubi Jinchuriki answers, nodding his head, "but what I mean is I want you two to fight like you're going to kill each other but don't actually kill each other. The fight would be boring if you two went easy on each other. If either of you are just about to deliver the final blow, purposely miss. You two will fight till one of you can't fight no more! Got it?" None of them answer. They looked at each other for a moment and Naruto got a little upset that he was suddenly being ignored. He really hates to do this but…"Tell me you two understand."

And as the good eternal vampire servants they are to their god, they must obey.

But not before Sasuke silent growls, "That jerk…"

Itachi willingly, obediently answers, "I understand, Naruto-kun."

Sasuke gives him a small glare after hearing that but he knows he too has to say it. "I u-understand…"

"Good. Now then, let's start shall we? Can I get a 'woot, woot'?"

"Woot, woot!" That was from the audience.

Oh dear Kyuubi…

Both Sasuke and Itachi are just standing in the middle of the training room, not believing that Naruto turned this simple little spar into an all out event like a National Football Championships. Seriously? What is so exciting between two brothers fighting?

Because one of them is a genius and he killed over thousands of vampires and the other is not only a genius himself but also he's the younger brother of the Uchiha prodigy. It's a test to see which genius is better? The one the Kingdom has known since the prince was born or the one who disappeared for twenty years but left quite a remarkable history in his wake?

Naruto asks, "Are you two ready?"

Sasuke swings his sword to the side and it once again becomes charged up with his hidden power. "Been ready!"

Itachi raises his hand up and flexes it as it becomes surrounded with his flames. He doesn't say anything but that little power control demonstration becomes his answer that he's ready.

"Alright then…" Taking in a deep breath first, Naruto screams out, "BEGIN!"

And the two brothers charge at each other again.

It was the same as how they started; Itachi's enflamed arm has his nails pointed right for Sasuke's neck as he has his electrifying sword aiming for his brother's chest. However like what happened when they first fought, the younger Uchiha is faster. His sword is going to hit Itachi before his hand even moves two inches from where it is the second the older Uchiha thought that. So what he does as quickly as he can, Itachi cancels his powers on around his once enflamed arm and presses his hand on his little brother's shoulder. When Sasuke feels this, it distracts him slightly and that is all Itachi needs to use the younger prince's shoulder to lift himself up as he jumps over him – doing a flip in the process. By the time that Sasuke stops himself and turns around to face his opponent, his brother was waiting for him. The younger Uchiha turns around just in time to see Itachi appear right in front of him with his fiery arm aiming for him. Still with faster speed than him, Sasuke jumps back to avoid the hit. Apparently, Itachi was expecting that. His hand that was going to hit his little brother ceases its flames and lands on the ground. Then he hoists himself up so that he could use the ground as leverage to kick the younger prince. The boy only had a second to realize this and since he's in the air, he really doesn't have anything to help him move out of the way. So he had to block it. He uses his sword to block the hit and it broke down the full impact of kick. He still goes flying back but no real damage. The audience is really intrigued with this fight now. Itachi was able to hit Sasuke, even though it was really a hit to the sword. Still, looks like the older brother might actually have a chance against the boy. Once Sasuke was able to land on solid ground, the first thing he does is look up at his brother and narrows his eyes at the older Uchiha – as if wondering how Itachi was able to do that. So maybe the old dog can still do some of his old tricks.

But like that's going to stop anyone. Itachi just made this fight a little more interesting.

The younger Uchiha then goes to his back for something and all Itachi hears is the sound of a _click_ before his little brother starts throwing daggers at him. Ten to be exact and the older Uchiha backs away as each dagger stabs the ground in a perfectly straight line a foot apart from each other. But at the last dagger, Itachi catches that one and Sasuke is right in front of him again.

_Cling, clang_

_Cling, clang_

_Cling, clang_

It was their first fight all over again but compared that one to this one, Itachi has vampire powers this time and is able to at least catch up with Sasuke and try to attack with the little dagger he caught. However from how it looks, Sasuke is still able to attack more than he has to offend. Same for Itachi but the other way around.

From up on the audience, Sakura cheers, "Go, Sasuke-kun! Go, GO!"

"Sakura-san," Hinata calls, as if asking her protector to calm down.

Suigetsu questions with a giant grin on his face, "I wonder who's gonna win this one. Last time it was Sasuke but Itachi-sama was human then."

"Ha!" Karin laughs. "Even if Itachi-sama goes Full Vampire Mood, the winner of this match will obviously be Sasuke. He's been using his powers longer than Itachi-sama and he's the best swordfighter in the whole kingdom! See how he's overpowering him? This fight is as good as over!"

Seeing how excited _she's_ getting of all people, Suigetsu has a foul look on his face as he thinks, _'You should see how much of a total fan girl you're acting right now, Karin.'_ Juugo and Kimimaro see the look on Suigetsu's face and they only let out a sigh, wondering when the 'on' part of the relationship is going to come back up. At least when they're 'on' they last longer and there is less tension between the two.

"I don't know about that."

Those listening turn their attention to Naruto this time. He continues to watch the match from leaning slightly over the edge and he has a big smile on his face. "Not that I'm doubting my protector but they did say that Itachi teme was considered a great warrior back in his days. I've never seen them but I wonder what kind of awesome powers he might have!"

Madara has his own smile on his face and he adds, "That's part of the reason why the whole castle is here now. Everyone is curious as to see who is stronger. The old dog with the old tricks or the young dog with the new tricks? Plus, there was a reason why Itachi was so well respected. It wasn't just because of his swordsmanship or his cunning." While Mikoto is smiling in agreement with her mate, the others are a little curious. Even Kimimaro is a little confused. Just because he was part of a clan that was at war with the Uchiha family around the time Itachi disappeared, doesn't entirely mean he was ever in battle with the Uchiha prince. He never even knew what the guy looked like. He only heard rumors of his accomplishments and his strenght.

"Then what was it?" the young Kaguya heir asks.

Down at the fight, it was just like last time. Sasuke pushed Itachi into a wall and the older prince only had a second before his little brother was going to strike for the kill. But unlike last time, Itachi didn't move out of the way. The sword came right towards him and stabbed him right in the heart. The audience gasps when this happened and it got the other's attention, tearing it from Madara to the sight below. At the moment of seeing that sword through his brother's flesh, Sasuke's eyes widen with a little bit of surprise but a lot of confusion. Itachi just stood there and took the hit. Sasuke may not have gone as slow as he did in their first fight but his brother could have dodged that hit with his new vampire speed. So why did…

But then Itachi's body changes. It turns black and then disperses into crows. Sasuke only had half a second before those crows begin to scatter around him and multiply in numbers, causing him to take few steps back and become distracted.

Madara answers, "Itachi was a master of illusions and deception. Though I am a little impressed that he could still do that."

Mikoto tells him, "He is your son after all. He's capable of doing all kinds of amazing things."

Madara then grasps her hand then and she looks at him to see him staring at her with loving, gentle eyes. "He's your son too, Mikoto." Then he kisses the side of her head and she giggles from the love of her mate. Moving on…

Below the audience, Sasuke's eyes scan his surroundings in every direction to find his opponent. But all he can see are crows. They just keep flying in circles around him like some sort of twisting tornado of birds. When he thought he saw something that resembles a body, he would slash his sword at it only to realize that it's nothing but part of his brother's illusion. He's done that several times already. At this rate, Itachi could easily attack him while Sasuke remains distracted and confused. When he paused to scan again, he felt a dagger cut his arm. The cut wasn't deep but it did catch Sasuke off guard. He winced and looks at it to watch as the wound heals. Then he gets even more, on his shoulder, his legs, his neck, his face, and his torso. All of the cuts heal, each slower than the last, and they only let out a small drop of blood. One thing is for sure that Sasuke will surely be screwed if his brother continues to play hide and seek with him. Soon it'll take a really long time to heal and the younger raven will lose from exhaustion. If he's going to get out of this, he needs an attack to hit all of the crows.

And he does just that.

Sasuke raises his arms up to cross them and then he thrusts them down as lightning strikes everywhere at any direction. Of course the lightning hit all of the crows and that left Itachi to having to back far away from the younger Uchiha and almost having to dance his way around them. As for the audience, no one got hurt but it was close. Some of the maids, or rather all, screamed when the lightning was close to them. Sasuke stopped his attack then and Naruto started screaming at him right away.

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT NO GOING OUT OF CONTROL AND KILLING THE AUDIENCE, TEME?"

Oh course he probably scream that since Hinata was one of the girls that screamed with the maids from nearly getting zapped. At least everyone was smart enough to back away from the rail when the light shower was going on.

"OH SHUT UP, DOPE!" Sasuke yells back. Something like that was bound to happen sooner or later.

Then he senses danger.

Sasuke didn't have to look. He just had to jump a few feet away from where he was standing. Then like the roles switched between them, Sasuke jumps away from each of Itachi's attacks as the older Uchiha continues to shoot small balls of fire out of his mouth. Seeing this got the audience's attention back and it distracts Naruto from screaming at his protector some more. Itachi continues his fire attacks. Even when Sasuke had to jump on the wall, he still had them coming like bullets of a machine gun. Then the younger raven had to leap off the wall and Itachi was able to send a few more mini fireballs before Sasuke disappears. Itachi stops his attack and he feels his little brother's presence behind him half a second later. He turns around just in time to see Sasuke's blade coming at him to slice him in half. He quickly blocks it with the stolen dagger he still has in his grasps.

And it was the constantly _clinging_ and the _clanging_ of the blades again. Difference this time is when it looks like Itachi is being overpowered again towards one direction, he would try a lower or higher attack, causing his little brother to jump over him to dodge it or move the side, and then Itachi is then being overpowered into that new direction. Their movements are quick and for those with normal human eyes, it was hard to catch up. In fact, when a human blinks for even a moment, they would have missed five moves or more.

'_His swordsmanship truly is amazing,'_ Itachi thinks, calculating on what to do in his head by first analyzing the situation. _'And his speed is incredible. Even as a vampire, he's still too fast. Something to be expected when your Hidden Power is lightning. However, that doesn't make him invincible. Every fighter has a weakness.'_ And the sword fight continues.

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Ooh, I wonder what Itachi is planning for his brother?

**How was it? Good? Bad? Was the fighting okay? Let me know. Until next time and hopefully very soon! Bye, bye!**


	22. The Fight Between Brothers Pt 2

**A/N: Okay, now this is getting ridiculous but I don't want to overwhelm you guys. I'm sorry, but I'm cutting the fight to three parts now and I swear to whosever up there that the third part is going to be the last part of the fight! Though with this chapter, I feel like I didn't do it any justice. It's mostly talking but at least you guys will learn a lot about how I portray the term 'vampire' in this story. I don't know if that's a bonus or it's going to be boring. I'm sorry…**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. Oh how I wish I did but no. Thank you for those who have reviewed and I am so sorry that I'm taking so long. Fight scenes are not my forte. I dedicate this chapter to my good friend Hitoko-sama. She was a big help in how I should write the fight. Thanks girl! I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though I fear that it might be boring. Oh well. I made you guys wait for far too long as it is. Enjoy and forgive me.**

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Ch. 22: The Fight Between Brothers Pt 2

Watching the fight continue between the two brothers, some of the servants began to talk amongst themselves. Not that the fight was boring them. It's exciting since it's a fight between the two strongest vampires they have ever known, but it's because this fight is so admirable that they just had to talk.

"Amazing, isn't it? Those two are practically equal."

"It may look like that but it's obvious that Sasuke-sama has the upper hand."

"But it looks like Itachi-sama might be planning something big. He was able to catch his brother off guard with that illusion. Those rumors about him cannot be false. He is truly an incredible warrior."

"Yeah, like twenty years ago. This old dog is going to get whooped."

"But I'm curious. How exactly do you kill a vampire?"

"Why ask me? I don't know."

"Well I was just asking because even though it was an illusion, Itachi-sama got stabbed in the heart. Anyone would have been killed right there and then."

"But that only works with a beating heart. I heard that if you cut off the head, they might die."

"No, no, no. That's only a rumor. I heard it was getting your heart twisted with a wooden stake."

"Don't wooden stakes just paralyze them?"

"Yeah, if you stab somewhere else. Stab the side, they're paralyzed. Stab the heart and twist it, they're dead."

"Holy water and garlic works on them, too right?"

"Holy water does. I don't know about the garlic. I think they're just allergic to them."

"Like get a rash and die?"

"Like sneeze every five seconds and act like they have a cold. But Holy Water burns them like acid but mild compared to sunlight."

Hearing them and sort of getting annoyed by them, Suigetsu turns to the other workers and ask, "Why are you people even talking about that? Are you planning mutiny?" After he asked that, the discussion on how a vampire dies and their weaknesses completely stops. They just stare at him, like loyal animals to a master. "That's what I thought." Then he turns back to the others.

"Didn't have to yell at them like that," Karin scolds him.

"They were getting irritating. If a hunter knows how to kill vampires then these things should be common knowledge and really, none of their business."

"But thank you for standing up for us," Madara tells him, "even though it's really quite alright. We don't mind."

Suigetsu thinks, _'But you're different compared to other vampires, my lord.'_

Then Mikoto cuts in saying, "There really is nothing to worry about, Suigetsu-kun. I'm sure you're just worried that our boys might really kill each other."

"With everything that's happened, my lady, I do feel a bit of concern," he answers. Karin looks at him with 'really?' eyes. He saw that. "What?" She just gives him the eye and then looks away.

Naruto cuts in saying, "No need to worry! They can't disobey my orders no matter what!"

Juugo has on a crocked smile and a nervous glint in his face as he adds, "Though it was surprising that Sasuke-sama just stabbed his brother like that."

"I know my protector! He wouldn't kill Itachi-teme even if he wanted to."

That was both a believable and an unbelievable statement.

"However things are starting to get a little boring now isn't it?" Everyone turned to Madara when he said that. Everyone but Mikoto looked at him like he's nuts. As if hearing their unspoken question, he answers to them, "All they're really doing most of the time is clanging their blades around. More action would be nice." His mate nods.

"I wonder when they're going to show them _that_," Mikoto wonders with her husband. Now they're looking at her like she's crazy but Naruto seems to get it as he lightly pounds his fist against his flat hand in understanding. That's a first.

"Oh, you mean that _that_ right?" Both parents nod before Madara looks back at the fight and Mikoto remains talking to the kids. He'll be on the look out to see if they'll do _that_.

Sugetsu asks, "Uh, what do you mean by '_that_'?" Even Sakura and Hinata are confused as to what Naruto means by _that_.

_Drip_

Madara lit up when he finally sees it. "You're about to find out."

Down at the fight, Sasuke hits Itachi's blade one more time and the older Uchiha steps way back to dodge as much as the attack as he can. Sasuke gets ready to charge at him again but because he was going too fast, he didn't see the thing his brother dropped before stepping away. He took one quick step and slipped.

Yes. Slipped.

Sasuke had a second to realize that he slipped on something and to those watching, they gasp when they see this. Itachi watches carefully before charging at his brother, however but this time he extends the blade of his dagger with his flames. By the time Sasuke got some of his ground again, Itachi is already charging his now flaming sword at him. Then _slash_ right at the shoulder. Many surprise gasps are heard as blood comes splashing out of Sasuke's shoulder and then drizzling on the ground. He grimaces for a moment before sending lightning from his feet on the ground he's standing on. Itachi only had a second before he was shocked by it. More gasps are heard, as well as a few whispers.

"How did that happened?"

"How could the lightning travel over nothing before hitting Itachi-sama?"

"How in the world could Sasuke just trip? He has the grace of a cat!"

At the same time, after both attacks, both Sasuke and Itachi jump away from each other and take a moment to feel just what kind of damage was done to their bodies. Sasuke looks at his shoulder, seeing how the gash is slowly starting to heal as well as the burns. Itachi's body feels a little numb and he's a bit paralyzed at the moment. Good thing he has some time or he really won't be able to move fast enough to dodge Sasuke's next attack.

Seeing all of that, Sakura, being extremely worried about her future fiancé, asks, "What in the world just happened?" Besides her, Hinata could not keep her mouth shut from the unexpected event that just happened before her.

Acting like the smart one, Naruto goes up real close to her and asks, "Come on, Sakura-chan. I'm sure you know how electricity could travel."

Sakura slams her hand against the side of his head and pushes him away. "Don't act like you know what happened, Naruto."

"But he does, Sakura."

The attention is turned to the parents once again and both of them are smiling, despite the damages done to their sons. Before they ask, Mikoto tells them, "Both of our boys are definitely what you call 'special' compared to other vampires. It wasn't just their admirable and unusual relationship with one another, but it's also their abilities and powers are what create the fine line between them and any normal vampire you'll ever meet. My one question for you is how do you think Hidden Powers are determined to every vampire?"

Madara answers, "Personality and morals to be learned."

Personality and morals to be learned? For those who _should_ know what he means by that, like Kimimaro, he's a little curious about this topic. But for those who don't know about this at all, like Suigetsu, Karin, Juugo, and Hinata, they are more than just curious.

"Kimimaro," the king calls. "Tell me, why do you think the Hidden Power you possess is what it is? You have the ability to control the skeletal structure in your body, correct? Controlling the growth of your bones and forming them to whatever shape you desire?"

He nods but he politely answers, "But I do not know why I have that ability, my lord."

"Then think of it this way. As a human, you had poor health, correct? Did your disease attack the bones in your body or your internal organs?"

"My internal organs."

Madara pause for a second. "Right. Then you must have your ability, not because of something physical but because of your personality. You're kind and gentle, but when it comes to protecting what's dear to you, you're strong and willing to do whatever it takes to protect it. You can make your bones bend to whatever shape, making them extremely flexible, and you can harden them to make them stronger than steel. Your heart is kind and it's very strong. That might be the reason why your Hidden Power is what it is." Kimimaro became blushing red from the king's praise. Seeing him look like that, Juugo couldn't help but think that his soon mate-to-be looks so adorable. But yet again, he always does to his eyes.

Then Mikoto asks, "Dear, did you just make that up on the spot?"

Huh?

Madara laughs. "Yeah, I did. I always had the impression that Kimimaro has that ability because of his disease. Like the vampire venom merged with the disease cells and caused his bones to not make him sick but to make him stronger. Like making them work in reverse. Guess I was wrong." Then he laughs to himself like it's the funniest joke of the century. Everyone but his smiling mate just looks at him with sweat drops going down.

However, staying on subject and being a little curious, Hinata asks, "Madara-sama, why are you explaining to us about what a Hidden Power is?"

"It's because there's a rumor."

The attention turns to Naruto after he said that. Some have raised brows while others are slightly surprised. Madara and Mikoto are still smiling while Naruto, on the other hand, looks normal. If counting him smiling at his protector's parents as he asks, "Isn't there?" is normal.

Suigetsu had to ask. "Rumor?"

While down at the fight, Sasuke's wound had finally healed enough for him to move as Itachi finally got some feeling in his body again. However during that little break, someone got angry.

"So you pull that trick on me?" Sasuke asks, glaring extra sharp daggers at his brother. Seeing the full extent of his anger from his eyes alone, Itachi takes this as cautious. Sure he's seen his little brother angry, but is mostly because he's screaming at someone, usually him or Naruto. But this time, Sasuke looks more than just angry and ready to scream. He looks extremely infuriated and ready to kill.

Itachi stands his ground as he slowly tries to get up, trying to feel and operate his limbs properly again. "By the Kyuubi's orders, we are to act like we're fighting to the death without killing each other. Making that move is no exception in this fight. I know you're not upset that I used it on you. You're upset that I was able to do it at all."

At this point, Sasuke might be the first and only person to narrow his glare at his opponent without looking like he's squinting his eyes. His anger is practically radiating off of him and even the audience above can feel it along with how suddenly tensed it got in the giant training room. Maybe Itachi shouldn't have said that.

Then Sasuke just suddenly smirks. "Heh. Twenty years. Twenty freakin years of being human and you're able to control your powers like it's second nature to you. You truly are one hell of a genius. You're making my years of training look like one giant waste of time. Thanks a lot, Itachi." At this point, Sasuke's bangs are covering his eyes from view. He still has that smirk on and not at all does he sound like he's feeling sorry for himself. His hand rises to his face and from the looks of it, his fingers are entangled with his bangs and his palm is pressed over his eye. "Oh don't worry. I'm not going to admit defeat just yet. I haven't fully gotten started yet. I just figured I could take you out without any trouble at all but you've left me no choice. Wanna see?" He raises up his sword and for only a second, a spark of lightning appears on the blade before it actually burst into flames. Like Itachi's dagger but without extending its length, Sasuke now has an enflamed sword. This surprises Itachi. But when the older prince gets to see his little brother's face when he looked up at him and revealed his eye, Sasuke doesn't have red eyes anymore. He has a black eye with golden iris and it's wide and almost, a little insane. But that's not all. On half of his face, his neck, and one arm, there are black markings all over his pale moon skin. Those eyes and those markings, that's what shocks the older Uchiha the most to see. "You're not the only one who can control two elements, and you're not the only genius here! I am about to show you exactly what I can do! I hope you're ready!" With lightning speed, Sasuke slashes his sword through thin air and coming right towards Itachi is a fire slash. As quickly as he could, Itachi moves out of the way to avoid it. Which means doing a back flip and then jumping to the side in order to do that. Now Sasuke is proving himself to be too dangerous to even get close to. What in the world suddenly got into him anyway?

Then Itachi is face to face with Sasuke in lightning fast speed, now looking at him right in his black and gold eyes. Now that was fast. Itachi didn't even see him and for him to not see his little brother, that just became a problem. Before the older Uchiha expected it, Sasuke's foot collides with his chin. The younger prince was able to get both hands on the ground in half a millisecond to lift his foot up in order to make that hit. Something that would have taken a second or two to do. Not a millisecond. From it, Itachi ends up flying high up in the air. Only when the guy became ten feet off the ground did he see his baby brother right in front of him again, with a hand that's now covered in lightning.

Now, Itachi might be screwed.

As quickly as he could with his own speed and trying to be able predict his moves, Itachi leans back and just in time too. Otherwise, he would have been sliced in half by Sasuke's lightning covered hand. It missed him by a hair, like literally. Itachi watched as a few of strands of his hair are cut. That was close, or was it? With his speed, Sasuke quickly turns around and then kicks Itachi right in the chest. A mouth's worth of blood escapes from Itachi's mouth from the impact before he came colliding with the ground, creating a rather huge crater and for dirt and dust to surround him and Sasuke. All of the servants were in 'awe' when they see that as for Kakashi, he looks pleased.

Sakura leans over the edge and she asks, "Wh…What just happened?" Not that she's upset that Sasuke was able to land a hit on his brother hard enough to make him gag out blood but it was how he did it that shocked her. She wasn't the only one. Everyone was shocked, all except for the king, the queen, and the god.

"Don't you remember what he said, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asks, leaning over as well like a child watching TV. Sakura got up and glares at the blonde for saying that like she's an idiot. She may not have understood what just happened but that doesn't mean she's stupid. If Naruto wasn't her god, oh Kyuubi would know what horrors she would do to him. "He said 'two elements'. Both teme and Itachi teme can control two elements." And that took Sakura off guard, as well as the others.

"_Two_ elements?" Karin exclaims. "I've never heard of that!"

"Well actually if you really think about it, Itachi is the one with two elements," Madara cuts in. He explains, "Remember what I said about your hidden power is determined by your personality or morals to be learned? Itachi has them both. It's commonly known that Itachi has fire as his hidden power, but that's only because fire is something that must be controlled or it'll go out of control. Now I'm not saying that Itachi doesn't have control, but when it comes to feeding and compared to Sasuke, Itachi has a difficult time dealing with his blood lust. Sasuke is a natural at controlling it and that's why he can control lightning since lightning is the fastest and outrageous form of fire. That's what Itachi needs to learn. That is his moral. However as far as personality goes, Itachi has better control than Sasuke. I'm sure that you've all noticed by now that Itachi can also control water."

"What?" Suigetsu, Karin, and Sakura yell out as soon as they heard that. The calmer ones are silent and their eyes are wide with gasping mouths. Madara sweat drops when he sees this reaction.

"You haven't notice?"

"But that doesn't make sense!" Suigetsu quickly says. "Like Karin said, we've never heard of a vampire having more than one hidden power. It's always one and even if it's about personality or morals to be learned, how can Itachi-sama have a power for a moral he has to learn and another for his personality?"

"Simple," Mikoto answers cheerfully. "It's because there's no one else in the world who's like Itachi." This quiet them down to listen, only because they both became confused and started to realize a few things.

Madara explains again, "Tell me, how many people do you know who can control their emotions at any given time no matter what the situation, is very adaptable and flexible, can be destructive when the situation calls for it, and can still remain sane afterwards? Think about it. Though since you guys actually don't know Itachi all that well, when my son was younger, he was always cool and flexible. Everyone knew that he was not one to let his emotions go out of control in any situation and he could handle it. But since he wasn't able to control his hunger as well as Sasuke could when he started to mature, he had to learn how to control something that is alive and can go out of control if not in check. That's really what fire is and that's why he has a better control over his first element instead of his second. He has control over water but using it is limited. He knows a few things and he has some powerful attacks about it but fire was his first and fire is what he knows best. Shall I explain Sasuke as well or do you know why he could use lightning _and_ fire?"

Naruto doesn't wait for an answer. He just tells them, "Compared to Itachi teme's powers, lightning and fire are not that different. Fire is lightning's mother element. The big difference is lightning is hotter, faster, and more wilder than fire. Since Sasuke has almost perfect control over his vampire blood, it's no surprise really that he has lightning. He can use fire by controlling how much heat he'll use and how slow he can make it. Besides his great inventions, that's what also makes Sasuke his own genius in combat fighting. The plus side of it all is since he's slowing down for his element attacks, he has all this energy and speed to use up. That's why once he starts using fire, he becomes wicked fast. That's what just happened." Once he was done with his explanation, instead of looking at him with dumbstruck expressions about Sasuke's incredible achievement, some of them are looking at Naruto with unbelievable faces. One of them being Suigetsu.

"How is it that all of a sudden, you sound so smart?" he asks. That made the blonde a little angry.

"I'm the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki that he's supposed to protect! I'm with the guy practically twenty-four-seven! I know how his attacks work!"

_Crash_

That was unexpected.

Hinata suddenly goes, "Everyone, look!" She points down to what she's referring to and when the others lean over to look, they see Sasuke up against the wall after making his own crater and the dust and dirt finally clearing to reveal Itachi…inside what looks like a giant glowing red warrior with a sword and shield.

The heck? Even Sasuke is surprised to see this.

"Oh? So he's resorted to that then?" Madara asks, as one of the only people who are not shocked by the new appearance of his eldest son. Mikoto was the only other. "Sasuke must really be a challenge for him to bring that out."

Naruto would have pushed people to the side to go face to face with the King, if he wasn't already next to him, just to ask, "What the heck is that?"

Only then did Madara look confused. "That's Itachi's Full Vampire Mood. Nothing surprising about him looking like that."

Quickly, the Jinchuriki responds, "But I thought Full Vampire Mood is when the physical appearance of the vampire changes. Not have some kind of flaming warrior giant being transparent all around you!" Why is he freaking out like this? This is one of the many transformations to becoming a stronger level of vampire powers. He should know that there are other appearances of the Full Vampire Mood. But yet again, he's never been to many battles to know that.

Though when he said that, that brought another air of curiosity. And before anyone could ask, Itachi makes his attack.

The older vampire prince just appears to be standing in that little crater of his as he pants in exhaustion and the pain from his little brother's earlier attack while his giant warrior raises his sword across his body. Many of the servants gasp in knowing what that means while Sasuke is still only wide eye at the translucent warrior for even being here. Then a split second later, with just a simple silent command of the mind, the sword comes thrusting down.

"Sasuke-kun!"

And at the last minute the sword changes angle and slices the wall right above the younger prince. Rubble of the wall comes falling down on top of him. Which was better? Getting sliced by a giant sword or getting crushed by rocks? Itachi only moves the direction of his warrior's sword because of Naruto's order. Not because Sakura was screaming her lungs out. However, the last Itachi saw of his little brother, the boy raised his arms up to protect himself as those rocks came falling down and the marks starting to spread throughout his body. That can't be good.

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And the fight goes on!

**So was it boring? I'll understand if it was. Let me know, okay? I'll take flames since I think I deserve it with this chapter. I promise you that you will like my next chapter! Till next time!**


	23. The Fight Between Brothers Pt 3

**A/N: Hello everyone! HAHAHAHA! Finally I am done with this dreaded fight scene! This is the last chapter of the fight between brothers! Hooray! Not that I'm dismissing it. It's just that I'm not good at action/fighting scenes! So I'm celebrating that I'm finally done with this! Hoorah!**

**Okay now, since this is the last chapter of the fight between Sasuke and Itachi, then that means that the answer to my game question is finally here! Wahoo! After so long! Rejoice my beloved fans! But I'm not going to reveal the answer until the end, when you finish reading this chapter. I'll also put down who won and they will vote for which ItaSasu story idea I should so first once this story or 'Would You Love Me' or 'Naruto Cold Cases: Family Problems' is complete.**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. It belongs to Kishimoto, who at this moment I both hate and love and don't know which feeling is stronger than the other. Thank you for those who have reviewed and voted. Remember that even though if you've lost, that's okay. There's always next time or you can try the WYLM question. Now enjoy!**

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Ch. 23: The Fight Between Brothers Pt 3

The whole training room is completely silent. The audience is too stunned to speak and Itachi is just standing there, waiting for Sasuke's next move. He knows that last attack isn't going to stop his little brother and the young prince is sure to have more tricks up his sleeve, especially when those marks were moving on his skin. It's just a matter of time before something happens.

However, a wave of nausea hits the ex-hunter. For a moment, things began to shift and Itachi suddenly feels really dizzy. He stumbles for a moment before regaining his standings, but to do that he had to make his warrior disappear. Breathing in and out through his mouth, he waits for the nausea to pass and hopefully, his brother doesn't decide to attack.

Wrong.

Itachi feels danger and by the time he looks back up to where the pile of rubble is, something is right in front of him. All he got to see were black and gold eyes before a great force hits him and he goes crashing into the wall twenty-five meters behind him. The humans and the other vampires were still in gaping and silent shock as they were now too afraid to blink in fear they might miss something important. Itachi hit the wall for only a second before Sasuke's blade stabbed the wall right above his shoulder. Not even when he's in pain does he have a chance of rest. Instantly, he opens his eyes, only to be flabbergasted with what he sees right in front of him. For a moment, he couldn't even recognize the person in front of him as his little brother.

"I hope you understand that I have every desire in chopping your head off right now," Sasuke growls to him. Too bad Naruto's orders are holding him back. But at the moment, Itachi could care less.

Itachi couldn't stop staring. His brother's appearance has changed into this stunning, dangerous, gorgeous creature. Is this what his Full Vampire Mode looks like? Unlike Itachi's giant ghost warrior that surrounded his body, Sasuke's appearance completely changes. His skin became grey, his hair long, wild and a lighter shade of blue, there only mark on his body this time is an arrow across and up and down on his nose, his lips have become a dark color of purple, both of his eyes are still black and gold, his fangs are extended, he has sharp claws on his hands – that Itachi can see from the hand on the handle of the sword close to his neck, and now Sasuke has wings on his back that look an awful like hands and fingers as feathers. In short and to any human, he looks like a demon, especially with that glare of his right now. But to his brother, Itachi thinks differently.

"You look stunning…"

Uh?

When he said that, only Sasuke heard that. Not even any of the other vampires heard him with their sensitive hearing. Since the younger prince is closer to him, it's no wonder he heard him but now he's wondering if he should have heard that. He was taken back at first and caught a little off guard, but quickly he gained a vein to pulse on his head and his brow twitches.

"Seriously?" he questions. "That's all you can say? Where the hell did that come from?"

Itachi's stunned expression calms down and he returns back to his indifferent personality. "What's the problem? It's the truth." This time, he spoke louder and now he's captured the audience's attention.

What? What did he say?

Sasuke blows, yelling, "That's not the point! You don't just say that after I nearly cut your head off!"

"I appreciated it that you didn't."

Okay, now he's making Sasuke feel worn out mentally. He has three veins now as he replies, "It's that dope's stupid law. I can't kill you, no matter how much I want to right now. You're causing me a lot of trouble and stress I really don't need." Then he smirks. With that face he has, that smirk looks more devious and devilish than he intended. "But if I can't kill you, then I can always make sure that you suffer the exact same pain I've suffered. Not only for these past few days but for these past twenty years. You might not like it, but I know that I'm sure as hell I'm going to enjoy myself." He yanks the sword out of the wall and gets ready to strike. Stab him in the shoulder with fire like how he did to Sasuke and twist or stab him in the gut with lightning and twist? That question came across Sasuke's mind as he thrusts the sword to his brother, but rather he chooses one or the other, he doesn't care. Itachi is still going to feel pain.

But just like Itachi who got a wave of nausea, Sasuke got a giant pain in his head as if someone just punched him there. For that small second of pain, he became open and Itachi didn't let opportunity pass him by. He quickly got up, grasp Sasuke's wrist, goes behind the boy, and twists his arm behind him. Sasuke winced in pain of the sudden twist and he drops his sword because of it. He was going to try and attack, his head still pounding with pain, but Itachi's other hand goes to his neck and it's covered in fire. The younger prince remains perfectly still as he looks at his older brother at the corner of his eye, pure anger pouring out of eyes as he stares into those hard, firm red ones.

"Damn you…" he curses under his breath.

"I'd put that Full Vampire Mode of yours aside if I were you."

The hell? Who does he think he is? Sasuke glares at him a bit more intensively before he asks, "And what makes you think I'm going to listen to you?" While his glare became more deadly, Itachi's gaze became harder and colder. He tightens his grip on his baby brother's arm, which the boy most certainly did not enjoy, before he spoke.

"Don't be stupid, Sasuke. You know just as well as I why Full Vampire Mode is not only hard to fully obtain and master, it's even more difficult to have it on for so long. If you want me to suffer without any distractions like how you desire, then put it away."

Rather Sasuke likes it or not, he's right. The greatest disability with Full Vampire Mode is it harms the body and sometimes, beyond repair. The body can't take the real power every vampire has within themselves. It needs time to get used to it. Sasuke just learned it so it's not really astonishing that he lasted this short, according to him. It's also no real surprise that Itachi lasted even shorter with his Full Vampire Mode. He hasn't used it in twenty years as a human and if he did, if he even could, he would have been in really bad shape the second he unleashed it. If it's hard on a vampire body, imagine what it must be like on a human body.

Reluctantly, Sasuke begins to return back to his normal self. His hair begins to shrink back to its original length and turn back to its original color, his claws shrink back to size, his wings shrink back into his back, the mark on his face fades away as his grey skin crawls away back to Sasuke's shoulder – how they crawled back looked a lot like those markings Itachi saw earlier, and Sasuke's black and gold eyes fade away back to its original color; white with red irises. Once he fully returned back to his original form, not only did the throbbing stopped but Itachi released him and retracted his flaming hand. They still remained close while Sasuke rubs his wrist and looks over his shoulder to the brother that's still staring at him.

"Happy, now?" the boy asks, annoyed.

He just answers, "I'm not the one who should be grateful about it. I backed down the moment I felt the effects."

Hold on! Is the fight over already? Why are they just talking?

"And it left you wide open. Now thanks to you, I got more on my plate than I need."

Itachi raises a brow when he heard that. "Oh?"

Sasuke answers, "Out of this whole room, who do you think is most pleased I can use Full Vampire Mode?" Then he points over his shoulder towards Naruto's direction and when Itachi looks, he sees one girl vampire girl beaming with happiness and practically glowing with sunshine joy. Sakura right now looks like a little child waking up to Christmas morning and getting the best present her parents could possibly get her. A lot of people backed away from her, except for Hinata who really has no choice but to stay close to her protector.

Oh yeah. Sasuke told her that he might agree to their engagement once he's mastered Full Vampire Mode. Only mature vampires can use it. Oh shit…

"Thanks a lot, aniki." And that does not sound good. Neither does the sound of lightning going off nearby. "Now thanks to you, I got to deal with her. You are so going to die." With a hand covered in lightning, Sasuke sharply turns around and strikes. Itachi was able to duck right on time. He turns around to kick trip the boy but he jumps and tries striking again. Itachi had to roll before springing himself up as Sasuke hit the ground and destroyed part of it. He growls at his older brother before charging at him for another attack.

Okay, now he's upset.

Now without any weapons, their fight just looks like a test of agility, flexibility, and the strength of hidden power. However since Sasuke is using lightning, he's not as fast as he was before so compared to that time, Itachi is able to keep up, a bit. The only problem is the only thing he can do is dodge. He doesn't have time to charge up his power and strike. He needs to dodge further.

Itachi dodges Sasuke's attack one more time and he leaves some water for him to trip on. But this time the younger prince notices. He jumps away before he does step on the water puddle and that gives Itachi the chance he needs. Once he could, Itachi takes a really deep breathe creates a giant fireball as he exhales. Seeing that fireball now coming at him at a pretty fast speed, Sasuke can already see that he can't dodge it in time. His only chance, overpower it. So he too takes a deep breath, putting that air at the pit of his stomach and then letting it out into a giant fireball to clash with his brothers.

The people in the audience had to raise their arms up to protect themselves from the intense heat of the two attacks. One of them asks, "How much longer is this going to last?" By that time, the attacks were going at each other for at least a minute or two. Too long for attacks like that to last. Now this is a test of who has the powerful hidden power.

But there is one thing Naruto notices as he keeps at least one eye on the fireballs. _'They're smaller than the ones before.'_

The only explanations to why a fireball would be small, compared to what he's seen, would either be because of the user's choice or because they're starting to run out of energy. Maybe the fight will end sooner than expected.

As the brothers continue to prolong their attacks, Sasuke says in his head, _'Come on. Just a little more.'_ Seconds later, it's done. _'There!_' Now he's all charged up just enough to last him a good five seconds. He stops his fire attack and moves. Not only was he able to get away in time, he was also able to pick up his sword on the way of charging his brother.

Itachi noticed when his fireball went through, Sasuke was no longer there. He stopped and only had half a second to feel danger coming right for him. By the time he turned his head to look, he's already face to face with Sasuke and then he feels a cold sharp metal puncture right through him. Instantly he cringes and tenses at the feel of his brother's sword through him as the crowd around them gasps at the scene. Itachi soon begins to feel his throat starting to flood up with his blood. Some managed to reach the mouth and escape to the outside from the corner against his wishes. He tries to hold the rest back as his little brother smirks in victory.

"Gotcha."

Then the younger prince twists the blade inside his old brother and Itachi surprisingly showed no pain on his expression. Not that it doesn't hurt. It does. Especially when…

"You deliberately missed a vital point but you charged your sword with your lightning to paralyze not only my body but my powers as well. Very precise and clever."

Sasuke lost his smirk then. He barks back, "Don't compliment me. Sweet words aren't going to help you now." He leans closer to his brother's face and he says, "Now this is where the fun really begins, aniki. I hope you're ready."

Now not seeing fear or even a hint of intimidation is something that Sasuke expects from his indifferent of a brother, but it would be nice to see it all the same. However, Itachi just looks at him directly in the eye and tells him, "I'm afraid our play time is just about over." Before the younger prince new it, the body in front of him suddenly turns into crows and scatters all around him.

'_Shit! Not this again!'_

Sasuke charges up his hand with lightning and quickly to get out of this illusion before his brother attacks him from somewhere – how could he do that anyway? Sasuke saved up as much power as he can to even reach the guy at lightning speed and still use his second hidden power to charge up his sword. So how?

Right when Sasuke was going to send his lightning from his body so he can hit all of the crows around him from any direction, Itachi appears right before him. He only had a moment before Itachi splashes him with water in the form of a cylinder the size of his hand. The older prince had gathered the water in his hands and when he got his chance, he tosses the water on his little brother and so he will feel the shock of his own power. As soon as the water splashed on his chest and spread on his clothes, Sasuke instantly felt the lightning. It traveled through the water and gave him a powerful buzz he was new to feel.

Usually for lightning vampires, they would be used to the feel of their powers electrifying through them and if they would so happen to get wet than the feel of it shouldn't bother them right? Sasuke never worked with his powers in water before. Itachi noticed that the time he got shocked after lashing at his little brother's shoulder. For a moment, the older Uchiha prince saw the boy cringe. The foot he sent his attack from was his right leg. Sasuke is a lefty so his right foot would be more dominate than the left. When Sasuke kneeled on the floor when they separated for that short moment to either heal or get the feeling back into their systems, he was using his left leg as support. Not his right_(I don't know if that is true to all of you but it's true for me. I'm a righty and my dominate leg is my left)_.

Quickly, Sasuke tried to stop the attack but with his body getting paralyzed from his own attack, it was proving to be quite difficult and it gave

Itachi more than enough time to fire up his arm. His little brother was just on the verge of stopping his attack when Itachi, with an enflamed hand, gets ready to commence his attack that will end this fight once and for all. Right when he launches towards him, Sasuke was able to stop his lightning and all he could do is stand there and watch as that hand comes right for his next. It's already too late and he can't move quick enough to get away. Even if he does have enough time to move at normal vampire speed, he can't. His body is paralyzed from his attack.

It's over.

But at the last second, Itachi moves his hand into a different direction and just misses Sasuke's neck by a hair. Though just because his attack didn't hit, it doesn't mean that his body can stop itself from moving forward. From the force of his attempt attack, he crashes into his little brother and forces him down. Both of them landed on the ground with a _thub_ and Itachi's hand stabbed the ground instead, not too far away from his little brother's head.

Everyone went silent. Not even a gasp escaped from the lips of the vampires and the mortals above. All of their voices became speechless and most of them stopped the intake of air from seeing how incredibly close Itachi's attack was. Some of them even still refused to breathe even as they now see before them both brothers on the ground, Sasuke lying on the ground and Itachi on top of him with on hand centimeters away from the boy's head. Both of them panting from the excitement of the battle and the last second shock, as well as staring at each other eye-to-eye, locked and somewhat hypnotized by each other glances.

They just kept staring at each other. Long after Itachi's fiery hand died away and their burning bright crimson eyes fade away to their onyx ones. Many moments later after the mortals decided to take in air again, they all now watch in anticipation to what's to happen next. Their battle may now be over, that fact is now obvious, but why haven't the two of them moved?

Finally, Sasuke spoke. Soft and uncatchable from the audience but Itachi heard them and that is the only person who needs to hear. "You…You didn't take the shot."

Falling on top of his brother is something that the older Uchiha brother expected when his attack missed. But to be in eye contact with him was something unintentional. He knew it was inevitable, but he most surely didn't intent to feel what he's feeling now looking down at those now onyx eyes so similar to his own and yet so very different.

"He told us not to," is all he can really say.

His eyes analyze everything and memorized everything. The way Sasuke's body lies under him and his own body over the boy as if he's dominating him. Itachi, the servant to his own little brother, feels as though in this position, he's the dominate one. A sense of power and supremacy flows through him. Softly and small but it's there.

Hearing his answer, Sasuke should have expected nothing less. It's not like Itachi would deliberately miss on purpose. That would have been a sign of weakness in the face of the enemy. "R-right." Trying to break away from those observing eyes, he lifts his head up as best as he can before to see if he can move anything. Sending the command of moving his finger, he watches the finger move up and down. He has some movement. Not one hundred percent of it but enough. Now the only problem is now there is a body on top of him. "You mind getting off?"

"In a moment."

Sasuke had to look back up at the man on top of him when he said that. Then he does something the younger prince sure did not expect for him to do. Itachi raises his hand, the one that was in the ground, and he uses the back of his fingers to gently tickle the skin on his baby brother's face and then twirl around his raven hair. The action itself is surprise enough but to still see those eyes looking at him and taking in every detail, it made him feel…vulnerable and almost submissive.

He tries to ask, "Itachi, what are you-" But he interrupts him.

"Shh," he says, moving his hand to the boy's lips to silence him. Sasuke nearly felt a tingle going down his spin when those fingertips press against mouth. Though not a disgusted tingle. A good tingle.

"You look really adorable like this."

Sure didn't expect to hear that and his embarrassed small flush on Sasuke's face proves that fact. To him, no way does he look adorable or any of those kiddy attractive words. What guy feels okay with being called 'adorable' at his age? But Itachi, it's the absolute truth. Being under him, looking as how he does, his little brother looks like the most lovable and delectable being on the planet. Maybe it's the way his raven locks is spread against the floor like black rivers against the tarnished floors, or his wide eyes staring up at him from the aftermath of the battle and now his surprising words and actions, or maybe Sasuke has always looked this way. Itachi is just now taking the time to actually see it with his little brother's growth and maturity.

It took a while to actually hear those words and even progress them in his mind but once he finally did and Itachi's fingers slide away from his mouth, Sasuke was only able to come up with one question. "Am I supposed to thank you?"

Similar to what happened in the closet, Itachi only became tempted to laugh at his little brother's foolish words. No way is he going to laugh in front of all of these people. Laughing and smiling is something he only does to Sasuke and him alone. No one else really deserved that privilege yet. However, it did edge him to at least curl his lips if only for a moment. Instead, he says with a pleasant, slightly amused voice, "Would be nice but let's be critical here. You asked me what else happened last night."

That is something Sasuke truly didn't expect to be brought up. Why is he saying this to him now? At the moment, all the boy could do is be surprise of hearing those last words. Now his older brother's eyes are staring him so intensively that it's overwhelming. His voice became barely a whisper as he replies back, "You told me I fainted and that was that."

"Not really."

Now this is really a surprise to the younger prince. There was more?

"I can…show you if you'll let me."

Sasuke couldn't say anything right away after that. He just stares at his brother who's leaning over him with a very weird glint in his eyes. Almost loving in a way and if he's not mistaken, lust as well. Seeing this and even though his sensitive hearing hardly got anything of what they were saying, Naruto practically leans over like he's watching the exciting part in a drama and it's just about to get good. Most of the workers and some of Sasuke's friends are almost the same way but Naruto is the one who looks like he's really going to fall off the rail. Everyone else looks shock beyond belief because they know what's going to happen next. Kakashi is the only one who looks like he's seeing the world going to end right in front of him if what he thinks is going to happen happens. He's the expect on these kind of things. He's read the books. He knows the signs. But the Uchiha brothers ignore them all, like the only ones who exist is the person right in front of them.

Then Itachi moves.

He leans just a little closer to his baby brother, almost in a hesitant way to see if Sasuke knows what he's going to do and if he'll let him do it. The younger prince doesn't say a word nor make any indication to stop him so it must be okay. But he takes his time, really debating if he should do this or not. But with Sasuke lying beneath him and looking so delicious, how can he refuse such an opportunity to not devour the boy where he lies? The younger Uchiha prince knows what his older brother is going to do and for some odd and strange reason against his morals and ideals, he is willing to let him continue because deep down, he wants it. More than anything, he wants to taste the flavor of Itachi's lips and feel them over his own for the first time – or the first time with a cleared up mind and not acting like a sober drunkard.

So then, Itachi leans even closer; taking his time as a way to enjoy the moment. Their noses brush against each other for a moment and they can already taste the breath of each other; savoring the flavor and yearning for more. If Sasuke had a beating heart, it would probably be pounding in his chest to the point of breaking his ribs and bursting out of his flesh right now. For the moment, he can only feel lightheaded with the feelings that begin to overpower him. The feelings of utter bliss to have his brother so close to him and to taste his breath in his mouth.

Itachi feels that completion again like how he felt last night. That feeling of being complete and whole. Like his missing half finally being returned to him, but it's only a feeling of finding that piece. Not being connected just yet. But if he kisses him right now, he'll get a taste of that connection like how he did in that closet. He wants that feeling again. He desires it. He yearns and aches for it.

The older prince leans closer and his eyes are already closed, prepared to feel the boy's soft lips against his own. Sasuke's eyes are still half way open as now he can feel those lips lightly brushing against his own with slightest movement of his mouth. Having that contact sends sparks of pleasure running through his body and that already excites him. But he wants more. He wants that mouth to be molded with his and right when it was about to…

"_**Shisui, please, take me. Make me yours."**_

He remembers a dark secret he can never forget or forgive.

"Get off me!"

His hands quickly found Itachi's shoulder and he shoves him off as if he were a deadly disease, and with surprisingly quick and strong movements as well. He acted exactly like that time when he woke up in the same bed with him. Of course, no one expected that to happen. Most of them were actually hoping that something else happened instead of the alternative. Sasuke quickly sits up and he's panting really hard; heavy feeling in his chest, the heat of embarrassment in his face, and the throbbing in his head. Not the bad throbbing that feels like a headache. The kind that makes your mind almost a total blank besides that one strand of thought that separates between your fantasies and reality.

"Don't ever do that to me again! I…I…"

By the time he was getting lost for words, Itachi pushes himself off the ground to look confused at his little brother. Did he just refuse him?

The mere sight of Itachi looking at him made the feelings in Sasuke all the more worst. Especially the 'other feeling' deep in his gut. The one that's been haunting him for years and the one he can never let go.

"I'm going for a walk!"

And just like that, he was up off the ground and rushing to the exit doors, completely disregarding that is around them.

"Hey, teme! Wait up!"

Naruto leaps over the balcony and even though Hinata looked like she was going to have a heart attack when he did that, he lands gracefully on the ground and he runs off after his protector, also completely ignoring Itachi on the floor.

What the heck just happened?

**

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**

And there you go. Done and the winner is Itachi! Even though I think that the ending results is sort of unclear but I say it's Itachi since Sasuke became paralyzed by his own powers and would have no chance against his brother a second later.

**Now the winners are 'Obsession No Es Amor', 'WraithReaper', 'dracolover1', and 'Challenged Snapping Paul'. If your name is not on the previous sentence, then that means that the internet is being a butt and it's not showing it. I'm pretty sure you know who you are that voted for Itachi as the winner and I have the list of people who answered correctly. If anyone besides these four people voted, I will not count your vote.**

**And my new question is… why is Sasuke feeling the way he does now? Why is he so guilty?**

**You don't have to explain in full details. If you just give me the soul reason to why than I will accept that answer. But you can try to figure it out if you want. But I would reread chapters fourteen and fifteen before you answer.**

**Now then, see ya in the next chapter!**


	24. My Confessions

**A/N: Hello, everyone! I felt such a drive writing this chapter that I'm already done and it's long. Forgive me. And forgive me more because I know that you're not going to like this chapter. That's all I'm saying and my answer to my last chapter's question and a new question will appear at the end. I would also like to dedicate this chapter, again, to my dear friend Hitoko-sama because I wouldn't have figured out the dialogue without her! Thanks again girl!**

**I DO NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters, nor do I own the story. Oh how I wish so I know what the heck happened to my two favorite Uchiha brothers but no. Thank you for those who have reviewed and voted and the winners will also be revealed at the bottom. I hope you all continue giving me your support, tips, or criticism because I accept and love them all. Every single one helps me become a better writer. Thank you and enjoy.**

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Ch. 24: My Confessions

'_Now where in the world did that boy run off to?'_ Itachi wonders, walking through the hallways of the castle. After Sasuke practically abandoned him in the training room and Naruto ran after his protector, Itachi was still sitting on the ground, getting over his shock of his little brother rejecting him.

Sasuke rejected him. After what just happened last night, he rejected Itachi?

Okay, something is seriously wrong here. Sure the boy wasn't fully 'there' when they kissed but when you're drunk with blood, you go by instincts and feeling. Sasuke kissed him for a reason last night and he rejected his brother when he was presented to him on a silver platter. What's wrong with that picture?

As the workers were leaving to go back to work, along with many others, Itachi was still on the ground in shock. The only one who approached him was Suigetsu.

"Don't worry about it, Itachi," he said to him after patting his shoulder to bring the older prince back to reality. "I think Sasuke's pride was hurt since you just kicked his ass when he's been using his powers longer than you have. At least I know that the rumors of you being a genius are no joke. Just give him some time and then you can try again."

If Itachi was a self-conscious girl, he would have blush from Suigetsu's last comment before he walked away waving. But since he's not, he just stares at the short white hair human with a dumb-struck expression and blinking eyes. Suigetsu walked back to the rest of Sasuke's friends, Karin and him still on bad terms with each other it looks like, Sakura practically looking just as excited as a teenage girl getting ready for her first prom night, Hinata taking in her protector's squeals and excited plans about her future wedding, and Kimimaro, Juugo, Madara, and Mikoto have their eyes on Itachi. All four of them are smiling at them; Kimimaro and Juugo being friendly and Mikoto and Madara looking rather proud. Then all of them left and Itachi was still sitting there on the ground even after everyone else evacuated the place. It took him a while to realize that he needed to find his younger brother and clear up the confusion in his head right now. So he's walking in the hallways, looking for his baby brother and the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. Where could they be?

"I don't understand why you let such an opportunity pass by you like things like that happened all the time!"

Found them.

"That was probably your only shot!" Itachi hears Naruto yell to who he believes to be his little brother and when he looks out from a hallway at the corner, he sees Naruto indeed talking to Sasuke. From how it looks with Sasuke's back facing him and being able to see Naruto's confused and worried face, Naruto must have caught up with his protector and blocked his walk way. Since this looks like such an interesting conversation, Itachi remains hidden and listens. Maybe he might get some answers since it appears that none of them notice he's here, he hopes.

He hears Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh before he says, "There was no way in hell that I was going to let him kiss me in front all of those people. How can you even think of that happening?"

That's….is a good point. Last night, it was Sasuke who wasn't thinking straight and now caught in the moment, Itachi was the one who wasn't thinking straight. If they had kissed in front of all of those people, that would probably be problematic if the brothers themselves didn't know what the heck is going on between them. Maybe it is a good thing they didn't, but Naruto had other thoughts.

"Because it might have been a once in a vampire life-time golden opportunity? Teme, that was your chance and you let it slip pass you like a fish in water!"

Now Sasuke is really starting to get annoyed. "As I said, there was no way in _hell_ I was going to let him kiss me in front of all of those people. It was bad enough he made me go into full-vampire mode in front of Sakura and now I'm going to have to listen to her oh so great plans of how we mate. Jeeze, it's bad enough I had to listen to her flirting and now I get to listen to that. Wonderful. I'm pissed off at him more than anything right now."

Itachi has half a mind to just go up to his little brother and defend what happened. Okay yeah sure part of it was his fault, but it was Sasuke's own fault as well. He allowed himself to turn full-vampire mode. It wasn't just Itachi. Though, the only reason why Itachi wanted to go up and defend himself is because he wanted his brother to calm down and think rationally. There are other things to worry about than arguing whose fault it is.

"You know, you don't have to go through the arrange mating."

That not only caught Sasuke off guard when Naruto said that. It also caught Itachi by surprise. Maybe it is a good thing that he's still hiding.

Naruto looks at his protector with his blue eyes full of sincerity and pleading and he suggests to him, "You can say 'no' to her. She might get upset about it, but she'll understand."

Now Sasuke is definitely confused with the jinchuriki in front of him. "What are you talking about, dope?"

"I'm talking about going against your feelings. The only reason why you're willing to mate with her is because she's a stand-in. Why not just follow your heart for once and be a man about it!"

Now he knows where the blonde is getting to. "There is no way in this damn world am I going to do something like that! Mating with Sakura is my only option of getting mother and father off my back about being alone for the rest of my existence. There is no other choice for me."

No matter how many times his protector is going to say that, Naruto is not going to back down this time. He is going to tell him exactly what he's been wanting to say about this idea right here, right now. "Of course there is! Itachi-teme was willing to kiss you, wasn't he? That's proof enough that you have a choice, let alone a chance."

"The person who tried to kiss me was the person I created. My brother died a long time ago."

And there he goes saying it again, but now there is the confirm answer that the person he's talking about is Itachi. Now he's not an idiot. He figured it out but that doesn't mean that he still can't feel the surprise to actually hear his little brother admit it.

Naruto tries again, "Sasuke, seriously! How many times are you going to go off on that? It's obvious that you don't believe that. It's about time I speak and you listen, teme!"

"How about you just shut up, already Naruto?"

The Kyuubi Jinchuriki didn't expect to hear that. Sure Sasuke was getting irritated with him on how he kept pestering the topic but he never thought that the prince would actually snap at him like that. It shocked him where he stood. He couldn't think of anything to say and his body just couldn't move from the overwhelming shock. That gives Sasuke the chance for Naruto to use those ears of his. "You don't get it at all so shut the hell up! The person I cared deeply about, the person I would rather be with than Sakura is dead! He went off to fight with the Kaguya clan and he died in battle! The person who came back, looking exactly like him was not my nii-san. He was someone else! Someone who belonged to another person. He changed and it was because of that ludicrous feeling called love. You and everyone else believe it to be a wonderful thing when it's not! It's absurd, it's disgusting, it changes people, and it breaks people beyond repair. I should know because that's exactly what happened to nii-san with that human!"

As soon as he said that, Itachi became just as shocked, if not more, than Naruto when his protector snapped at him. His eyes widen in complete disbelief and for a moment, his mind was not working. Does Sasuke…_know_?

Finally getting over it, with now pity in his guts because he knows where these words are really coming from, Naruto allows some of that pity to melt away his shocked expression and he dares a step to his protector with a hand of comfort reaching out to him. "Sasuke…"

_Slap_

And Sasuke slaps it away before it got too close. The shock returns and the blonde could only stand there with wide sky blue eyes as angry onyx eyes stare right through him; piercing and burning through his very being. "Just leave me the fuck alone, Naruto. There is no way you can possibly understand. You have Hinata. Someone who loves you for who you are. She doesn't try to change you and she _loves_ you. You don't know what it's like to not be loved in return."

One by one in Itachi's mind, the pieces begin to fall together, but at the same time he didn't think he could believe it. He can't believe that Sasuke knows about Shisui. They never met! He can't believe these feelings his little brother is spitting out at their god's host, and he can't believe the words he's saying now. So badly he just wants to ask, 'what are you talking about? I don't understand', but his mind doesn't work like that. He heard it all and he understood it all.

When Naruto didn't move from his spot and his face had already softened back into lonely pity, it just made the raven haired prince all the more angrier. This time, he allows his eyes to glow dangerously red and he shouts, "I said LEAVE!" It just leaves a sharp pain piercing right through the blonde's chest with the metal still piping hot.

Seeing that there is no need for him to be here anymore, Naruto does as his protector orders him to do; for once. He moves to the side, a bit unsure if he should really leave or not, and then runs pass Sasuke, leaving him there. However when Naruto is passing the hallway Itachi is in, for just a moment without slowing or hesitating his steps, Naruto looks to the side and he looks at the older Uchiha, eye-to-eye, as if giving him a message. From the look on his face, he's pleading Itachi to do something. The long hair vampire sees that look of plea and sorrow before Naruto turns away and runs away. His footsteps echo in the supposedly empty, silent hallway and only when it faded away to nothing did Sasuke grit his teeth together, clench his jaw, and hit his fist against the wall. Itachi's eyes slightly widen in his own way of slinching when he heard that fist and he looks back out to see several cracks in the wall and possibly a small crater as well.

"Damnit!" the boy curses before gritting his teeth tighter and clenching his fist tighter to the point his fingernails are piercing his skin. Itachi smells the scent of his blood and maybe now is a good time to come out before the boy bleeds out any more unnecessary blood.

"Sasuke."

When the younger vampire prince turns around in the direction Naruto just ran off too, he sees his brother revealing himself to him. Sasuke looks absolutely shock to see him here with non-red eyes wide as Itachi looks worried and a little shock himself.

"Sasuke, how did you…"

Without giving him the chance to even try and finish that question, Sasuke looks away and tries to walk away. Caught off guard with his 'running away', Itachi goes after him. Hearing his rushing footsteps trying to catch up with him, Sasuke tries to go speed walking.

Damnit, how much did he hear?

"Sasuke, wait!" Itachi calls, sounding a little upset that his brother is walking away from him. "Sasuke!" The boy still doesn't stop.

'_Now this is getting ridiculous!'_

Having just about enough of this and wanting answers _now_, Itachi uses super speed for just a moment so he can grasp Sasuke's arm and stop him. The boy made the mistake of looking up at his older brother with the same shock expression before and now he's looking at hard solid, slightly cold eyes.

"Sasuke, did you know?" he asks, his voice sounding much colder and harsher than his eyes.

Sasuke looks away and he asks, looking not at all intimidated by his brother's behavior, "Know what? What the heck are you talking about?" Yeah, like Itachi is going to believe that.

"If you really didn't know, you would have looked at me in the eye when you said that." Sasuke looks back at him then before his brother pulls his arm a little harder so he can be closer. "You know, Sasuke. Don't you dare lie me."

Looking into those eyes, it was almost intimidating, to Sasuke that is. For anyone else, they would probably have been scared out of their mind and quake in the older Uchiha brother's hold. But there is one other small difference between the two brothers. Sasuke is supposed to be the master and yet his servant is standing before him acting like he's the dominate one. Though looking at him right now, even if Sasuke orders him to drop the issue and leave him alone, Itachi would just pester him some other time. He won't let go of the issue.

When Sasuke answers, his voice sounds like he has a little strength in it to show that he'll answer but he won't be frightened by him. "Yeah, I know."

Receiving that answer, Itachi doesn't know rather to feel relieved that his little brother is telling him the truth or if he should be cautious and concerned because for Sasuke to know, it either has to be when he bit him to turn him back into a vampire or he found out when they were younger. So he asks, "For how long?"

"How long I knew you were head over heels in love with a human or how long I knew he even existed?" Sasuke yanks his arm off and thanks to the earlier anger caused by the dope, he starts lashing out at the man in front of him. He starts off with a soft angry voice and then it grew till he was shouting in rage. "Blood never lies. You can learn so much from it, brother. When I fed on you that day when I got a glimpse of what sunlight really looked like, I learned from your blood that you were acting weird because you couldn't get a human out of your head – a human by the name of Shisui. He saved your life when you survived the battle between us and the Kaguya clan. How long I knew that you were in love with each other? It was shortly after you started running off in the middle of the night, leaving Kakashi to train me so you can play husband and wife with that human! I followed you after telling Kakashi I was sick and couldn't train, and you know what I found? I found you sucking face with him!" Now Itachi is surprised. His little brother knows all the way since then and looking at his face right now, he can not only see the anger clear as day, he can see so much pain behind them. So much betrayal… Sasuke takes one step towards him and continues, "You knew the rules back then before they changed! Either suck the human dry or turn him if you wanted to mate with him so badly. You can't mate with a human!"

Itachi tries to defend, "Shisui and I didn't mate. I knew the rules, Sasuke, but I refused to turn him into a bloodsucking parasite, let alone kill him."

"'Bloodsucking parasite'?" he repeats, just making sure he heard his words correctly. His voice wasn't as loud or angry as it was before. He just sounded like he was trying to understand. When he did, he lets out a chuckle and waves his arms in the air with a grin on his face before facing his brother again. "Brilliant! Thanks for the insult. I should have known you would still feel bitter towards us vampires. Once a vampire hunter, always a vampire hunter! You people will never change!" He shouted that time.

For some strange unknown reason, Itachi can read Sasuke. Before he couldn't since he couldn't tell when his brother was going to have one of his dramatic mood swings but now looking at him, having this conversation, and him spilling about everything he knows, Itachi feels like he can read him like a book. He's angry, that's a common observation. But that is all coming out from how hurt he is. He's revealing exactly the kind of scares and wounds he has; the wounds Itachi gave him.

"I have, Sasuke."

Huh?

The younger prince did not expect to hear that. Nor did he expect his brother to grab him again and then force him to the wall. When he looks after his back pressed against the wall, he's shock beyond movement as similar black eyes are staring right through him. Looking at those eyes is giving him chills. Good chills, bad chills; he couldn't tell. He just feels something in his guts and chest that's leaving him frozen and almost makes him feel…vulnerable.

With his hand pressed against the wall that's not too far from his little brother's head, he leans on it for a bit of support so he can ask, "Sasuke, do you love me?"

That brought the boy back to reality. "Wha-! Where the fuck is this coming from?"

"Answer the question, otouto. Do you love me?"

He didn't answer right away. With how close his brother is and this question, Sasuke is starting to breathe through his mouth, his chest rising up and collapsing down. He's too close. Lucky for him, Sasuke was able to tear his eyes away from the captivating ones in front of him before he answers, "…no."

So now he's trying to hide. Maybe coming on him was a bit too strong. Itachi lets a deep, soft breath before he confesses his own little truth. "Before you fainted last night after you took some of my blood, you kissed me." Instantly that got his little brother's attention. He still looks to the side but his eyes are wide and his mouth becomes a solid straight line. Itachi was sort of hoping that he would look at him but it's probably needed to say a bit more of what happened. "You told me about the pain I caused you and you told me you were and always will be willing to do anything for me. Then you kissed me, and I kissed you back." As soon as he said that, Sasuke's head sharply turns to look back at him with eyes still wide and shocked by now with a slightly open mouth. The second he looks back at him, Itachi's other hand rises up to the boy's face and his fingers gently caress the soft flesh. Upon looking at him and feeling his touch, Sasuke really does feel vulnerable and he's seeing complete sincerity and seriousness in his older brother's eyes. "Before you fainted, you said something about not being able to forgive yourself for doing something on _that day_. I'm not going to ask you what it was until you answer me first if you really don't love me or you do."

"Why would it matter anyway if I do or not? Nothing would change if I said yes."

That's as much as a 'yes, I love you' as Itachi is going to get. But still, it made him melt inside. Maybe there is a reason why he feels completion with Sasuke. What if it was never Shisui but it was always Sasuke? It could explain on how terrible he would feel when his little brother was upset with him and how carefree and at ease he would feel when they're laughing and smiling together. Itachi is no genius. He doesn't know all. He's just naturally talented with a sword and his mind just thinks strategies and battle formations. He is flawed. He can't see true love when it's staring at him right in the face.

"Yes it would," he says a little gentler. Then his hand slides down from Sasuke's cheek down to his arm. The boy had to suppress a shiver when that hand went down. He followed it so he could see that hand grasp his and then lift it towards Itachi's face. He kisses that hand ever so gently and so lovingly that Sasuke's cheeks started to turn red. This cannot be happening, can it?

"It could change a lot." Itachi lowers his hand and he moves closer to his brother's face. Sasuke instantly knew what his big brother is going to do. At the moment, he just couldn't move as Itachi's lips are now only an inch away from his own. "Sasuke…"

He's going to kiss him. Out of his own will and desire, he is going to kiss Sasuke. Usually when one is about to kiss someone and those feelings that he felt not too long ago come back, one wouldn't have the strength to refuse him a second time. But Sasuke still has that same feeling that stopped him the last time. The one that made him feel disgusted.

"Get off me!" He finally found the will and strength to move. He pushed Itachi away from him and like before, Itachi has that same dumb-struck expression on his face. Sasuke rejected him again when he can now tell that he wants it just as much as he does. But why? His question is shortly answered when Sasuke spats out more words. "You heard what I told Naruto! Love is the real bloodsucking parasite! It sucks you dry of any happiness you could ever possibly possess. It tears you limb from limb till there is nothing left. It changes you till you are no longer recognizable to those around you. That human changed you into someone completely different than the nii-san I used to know! He even took you away from me and used love as an excuse to convince you to become a murdering vampire hunter! That human deserved to be burned to death in that village."

"Be quiet, Sasuke!"

_Bam_

A second later, Itachi's fist hit the wall close to Sasuke's head again, cracking it from the force. The younger sibling didn't expect that to happen. He didn't expect Itachi to lose his cool like that. Anger, maybe but not like this. He can't see his face because his bangs are hiding it away from his view. All he could see is anger radiating off his body in Itachi's own collected and dangerous way. It actually almost made Sasuke afraid.

"Just be quiet. You have no right to say anything about him," he hissed at the boy.

'_Itachi!'_

Itachi can still hear them. He can still hear Shisui call for him. Whether or not the older prince realizes that he was never the one, the human was still precious to him. He was the first human Itachi had ever met that was like him; acceptance of what he was and acted completely normal around him. He was his first kiss and he was the first person who the prince said 'I love you' to. He was his first real experience to love and Sasuke has the galls to say that to him? Thos memories are still fresh and they hurt like hell.

"You have no idea what it was like. You could claim to love me all you want but you have no idea what it was really like. To love someone with all your being and to receive that same love in return. You have no right to talk about Shisui and I like that. There is no way you could possibly understand."

"Yes I could."

Immediately that captures the older prince's attention. He looks back at his little brother in surprise and confusion. "Uh?"

Looking at him, Sasuke has a pitiful half smile on his face. Oh how wrong his brother really is. When he spoke his first sentence, it started off soft and then it got bigger instantaneously. "You heard me, you fuckin coldhearted, self-rightous asshole!" He loses the smile on his face and now he's back to shouting, expressing everything and letting everything go. "You know something? You have no right to talk to ME about love! Sure you may have gotten the chance and experience of being loved in returned but you never went through the pain of betrayal and a broken heart! You told _me_ that you loved me! You told me that there is no one on this earth who you could love more than me! You told me that you would never leave me! And yet as soon as your _Shisui_ was attacked, you went running off to him and left me! You abandoned me when you said you wouldn't! You choose that human over me! You loved him more than me and you have the nerve to lecture me about a broken heart? Who the hell do you think you are, you bastard? I hate you! I hate you!"

As soon as he said that, Itachi grasps him again and pulls him towards him till his arms wrapped around the boy. Sasuke's eyes widen again and his anger instantly disappears when he's now pressed against Itachi's chest and those arms are around him in a pleading but gentle and warm hold. This chest that feels so warm when it should feel so cold to the touch. This chest that has the comforting scent of his precious older brother, and this chest that would relax him into deeper slumber. And these arms… These arms that would catch him when he fell, that protected him from harm against the nightmares and monsters under his bed, and made him feel loved and wanted. He feels them all again, as if he's being purified, and he feels the desperation in them as well.

"I'm…sorry," Itachi whispers to him. Sasuke believes it. Even his voice sounds apologetic and it suddenly made him feel really bad for screaming like that. Itachi's arms tighten around him and he adds, "But you're right. I have no right and no matter how many times I apologize, it won't change what I've done. All of my words were turned into lies and I broke so many promises to you because I was overwhelmed with grief. Nothing I can do or say can erase the pain I've caused you over the years. But I truly am sorry."

The pain Itachi caused him or the feelings Sasuke is making him feel? The boy doesn't know anymore. For the first time, he doesn't know what to do. But he knows what he wants to do. He wants to be seven years old again and just hideaway in Itachi's arms and stay there. He doesn't want to face the real world anymore. He wants to stay here at this exact moment, forever. But all good moments must end, especially when you've held something so terrible that you no longer deserve what you want.

"Heh, you should see yourself."

Itachi didn't expect to hear that, or for Sasuke to push away from him and back away. Back all the way to the wall again and just look up at the ceiling with that pitiful crocked smile on his face again. "You look extremely pathetic right now, nii-san." _'But the truly pathetic person…is me.'_ "You're apologizing for the pain I deserved." His head then faces down to the ground. _'I'm making you feel guilt for something I did.' _His hands rise up to his face and he hides his eyes away with the palms of his hands and his fingers mixing with his raven hair. "How extremely pathetic indeed."

Now he knows what to do. He can't hold it any longer. He has to let it go.

Not understanding what he's saying or why his brother looks like this, Itachi asks, "What are you talking about, Sasuke?" almost sounding like he's going to regret asking that.

Sasuke lifts his head up from his hands and with the crocked smile still on his face, his eyes show so much more. "You think those vampires attacked that village just for the heck of it? You forget. Those vampires, those Sound Vampires were a killer-for-hire gang. Taking any payment such as money or blood for any kind of job."

When he said that, something else clicked in Itachi's mind. Another memory full of fire, a burning house, and a cowering in fear vampire, pleading for his life to be spared. His words ring in the older prince's ears at the remembrance

"_We didn't attack for no good reason! We were hired to do it and given permission to carry it out!"_

But that would mean…

"Sasuke, you didn't…"

Sasuke chuckles one more time and he answers, "I was the one who sent out the attack." And just like that, every little piece, no matter how shattered that Itachi pulled back up to keep his sanity, breaks completely and falls – never to be picked up again. Now he is the one who's frozen as his little brother, his lover's murderer, just keeps talking. "Out of my own selfish desires to make you mine, I killed your love. That human was in my way and I got rid of him. I'm the one who you're supposed to take your revenge on. That human didn't turn you into a merciless vampire hunter. I did. I created you. I made you kill so many other vampires in my place that it only made the guilt all the more sweeter for me to enjoy. I don't know rather to be grateful for it or break down completely because it's too great."

From the looks of it, Sasuke might break down. His eyes are starting to shine in the light with tears. Not including that one tear last night, he hasn't cried in twenty years since Itachi left. Now he just fills like a pot full of the rain that fell from the sky and it's finally beginning to overflow. That rain of misery and never-ending guilt.

But Itachi doesn't completely see that. He sees his brother's face but all he could think about is one thing.

"You…killed Shisui."

Now looking at him, Sasuke gives him 'are you stupid' face. "Do I have to repeat myself?" he asks. Then he loses his smile and now his expression is completely washed over with sorrow and plea. "Ever since I was a child, I knew you were the one. You made me complete. You made me happy and you were the only one who ever truly understood me. I knew it was wrong and I knew that not many will ever understand because we're brothers but I didn't care! I would have been willing to fight anyone in to the death for it. Even now as I'm standing in front of you, I…" His hand reaches for Itachi's cheek, then but before he could even touch it, he stops himself. He stares at his brother in a pleading way, so similar to how it was last night, but he looks away and drops his hand. His voice became dead. "There was probably a reason why I kissed you in that closet last night. Maybe it was because when I saw you kissed that man so many years ago, I was upset that I didn't get my chance. The pain was so great that I didn't feel anything but that unbearable pain in my chest. I didn't want to eat, I didn't want to sleep, or do anything at all. I only wanted to feel a pain greater than the pain I was feeling in my chest, but nothing could cover it up. Do you remember that time you tried to get into my room but I told you to leave me alone?"

Itachi remembers all right. It was the first of many events that lead to that terrible night.

"_Sasuke, it's me. Won't you let me in?"_

"_No! Especially not you!"_

"_Sasuke, what's gotten into you? Come on now. Open this door!"_

"_No! Just shut up and leave me the fuck alone!"_

"_We've tried everything, Itachi-sama. We're worried that he might starve himself to death."_

"_I'm surprised. He's never this upset. But I'm sure that it won't last for long. He'll come out eventually. When he does, tell him to meet me in the garden. I need to speak with him."_

"_Are you going out again, Itachi-sama."_

"_Yes. But I'll be back shortly."_

"I heard everything outside that door and I just snapped. Instead of banging down the door or ordering me to come out like the nii-san I used to know would do, you decide to go and meet that human. You cared about him more than your own brother. So I hired those sound vampires and I gave them permission to attack. I just didn't want you to leave me. I didn't want to lose you. It was my worst fear and my darkest nightmare. But it was a useless attempt from the beginning. You left me either way and you came back as an entirely different person – someone who wanted me dead. I should have known that nii-san was gone forever when he went off to battle, never again to return…" He chuckles one more time but softer compared to the first couple of time and the smile on his face is small and very faint. "I should have known and yet I ignorantly believed he would come back to me. I was and still am so, so stupid."

And then there was silence. Nothing but defending silence between them. None of the humans who went back to work in the castle were even near this area. There was no sound what so ever and it gave the brother's plenty of time to think. Slowly but surely, Sasuke's words were starting to sink into his brain. Sasuke killed Shisui. His little brother killed one of the most important people in his life. It's just…It can't be true. It can't be. Not when…not when…

Not when Itachi has already learned how to love again.

How the older prince just wants all of this to be a dream. Another terrible nightmare his mind could impossibly think of this absurd possibility. But it's the truth. It's looking at him right in the face and speaking to him directly; no one else. What do you do now? Itachi doesn't even know how to feel. He feels greatly shocked, deeply hurt, betrayed, and yet looking at the boy in front of him, he still feels that pestering yearning to reach out and touch. Touch him and make everything feel better again.

So he tries. "Sasuke…" His hand reaches out towards him but when he called out, Sasuke flinched at his name and the softness of Itachi's voice when he used it. He could see the hand reaching for him and he didn't want it.

_Slap_

Like Naruto, Sasuke slapped Itachi's hand away before he could even come close to touching him. The action leaves the older prince and Sasuke looks back at him, glaring. He doesn't want it. He doesn't want pity. He doesn't want sympathy. He wants everyone to just leave him alone. Leave him and let him rot in hell.

"Don't touch me. You're free to do what you want." If his slap didn't shock the older Uchiha enough, his little brother's next words did. "You can go wherever the hell you want and do what you want! But the last order I'm gonna give you is when you're going to kill me, you better do it as a vampire because I would damned if I were to be killed by a human."

So he's willing to accept death then? Or is he just stating the obvious choice of what is to come next? He killed a hunter's important person and like all hunters, when something is taken away from them, it becomes their drive. Revenge. That's what it is but does Itachi feel that? What else is he supposed to feel then? Unable to know how to feel and knowing that if he doesn't contain them, he will go out of control, he goes back into his doll like state.

"You told me that I could do what I want now, Sasuke. You don't have that control over me anymore."

Everything becomes dead. His facial expressions, his voice, his body language, and his words become nothing but the cold harsh truth. Sasuke sees that change in his older brother and he only allowed a moment of it to affect him. Itachi is back to how he was in the trial. Back to where he started.

Hilarious, isn't it?

"Heh, you're right. So why the fuck are you still standing here? Get the fuck out of this castle!"

**

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**

I told you guys you wouldn't like this chapter. I'm sorry but something like this is bound to happen sooner or later right?

**Anyway, the answer to my last chapter's question is the reason why Sasuke feels so guilty is because he ordered for Shisui's life to end. For those who have not voted this exact detail, that's okay because your vote still counts if you include that Sasuke feels guilty because of Shisui. My winners are 'Saber Amane', 'Hitoko-sama', 'Sasuke-Fan-723', 'WraithReaper' and 'DelicateGreenEyes xx'. Thanks and you guys now have the privilege of voting for one of my 'Which ItaSasu Story is Next?'**

**My new question is: What is Itachi going to do now?**

**Thank you again and I'll see you all next time!**


	25. Your Final Goodbye

**A/N: Holy cow! I am so sorry for not updating this story for like TWO MONTHS! A lot has been happening and I'm just going to leave it at that otherwise it's going to sound like I'm just making excuses. But I will say that I had writer's block for the longest time. Now I'm trying to come back but I feel like I didn't do this chapter any justice so if this chapter dissatisfy you then I humbly and sincerely apologize! I will do better next time!**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. I wish I did, like many others, but sadly I can only dream. Thank you all for those have reviewed, waited patiently for this story to update, and played my little game. The answer to my question is in the story and I shall reveal the winners at my ending Author's Note. Thank you and please enjoy!**

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Ch. 25: Your Final Goodbye

_Twenty years ago at Shisui's burning village…_

_He can't find him. No matter where he goes, Itachi can't find Shisui._

_Everything is red. The buildings are now the brightest stars of the night as they shine brightly with the fire, burning the wood that gave them body and form. Those flames engulfing and destroying everything in its path became the first sunlight Itachi has ever seen without physical agonizing pain. He could see everything and he could feel the heat radiating from the village around him burning his own skin. Besides the smoke rising up to the heavens, Itachi can also smell the strong scent of blood all around him. It's in the air, burning his throat with desire and it's all on the ground, staining the dirt red. For as long as he's been here, there hasn't been a single living human. All he could find were bodies. Everyone is dead. The men, the women, the children, the elderly. Everyone. How this once peaceful village has now becoming a scene of gruesome catastrophe. It's horrifying_

_With every body that Itachi's seen, the more and more worried he becomes of his lover. All during his search, he has yet to find Shisui. Where is he? Did he at least escape? Is he even alive? Or is he dying a slow and painful death somewhere? Every second that passes is another question unanswered and another worry unattended._

_The vampire prince felt like he needed to call out to his lover to at least get any kind of response. Any other sound at all besides the crackling of the fire and the collapse of more human homes. He wanted to hear his lover's voice calling for him. He wanted to know that Shisui above anyone else was not one of the dismembered bodies he has already found. But his panic and his worry froze his voice and the desire for blood made his throat dry. He couldn't scream for Shisui, even if he wanted to._

_Then leaping before his eyes is a shadow. Itachi stopped running when he instantly saw movement. He looked up and he sees a vampire leaping through the air. A vampire with what appears to be three pairs of arms, very light tan colored skin, and spiky brown hair. Never before had Itachi seen someone with three pairs of arms, but he heard of a vampire who did._

_How did that vampire not notice Itachi? Maybe it was because the stench of blood and burning wood overpowers the prince's own scent? Or is his mind too occupied with something else? No question about it that he's the one who attacked this peaceful village or from what Itachi knows, one of the vampires who attacked this village. But why is that? What reason would this vampire and the group he belongs to have any reason to destroy this village? Unless it was business…_

_For some reason, Itachi just feels like he needs to follow that vampire as he glides through the air before landing on a rooftop and leaping again before the building collapsed. Why should he? Itachi's looking for his lover. He has no time for this but there's a pull in his guts that's pointing towards the same direction as that vampire. As Itachi's eyes follow that vampire just a little longer, there is one thing he begins to realize. Towards that direction the six-armed vampire is heading, it's the same direction that leads to the little abandoned shack Itachi and Shisui would meet._

_Without another useless thought to distract him, Itachi follows that vampire as fast as his teenage legs could push him. While still keeping the vampire in view, he stays a good distance away so the vampire won't suspect him._

_From house to house the vampire would leap on and cause it to collapse, Itachi didn't just have to avoid the dismembered bodies. He had to avoid the fallen houses remains. In only a short amount of time, not only were the houses that the vampire leaped on started to collapse, but the rest were beginning to as well. The only ones that appear are going to last longer than the others are the bigger ones like the mansions or the churches. The homes and shops are all but burning wood and by the morning of tomorrow, the village would all be burned to the ground._

_Finally after following this vampire to the other side of the village, the vampire lands on the ground away from Itachi's view into the next row of burning buildings. This confused the vampire prince. He thought the vampire was heading towards the old abandoned shack but all it did was take Itachi on a little detour of the burning village. So then all this time, he was just wasting time when it could have been used on finding Shisui? But Itachi still has that pull in his guts. He shouldn't risk it. Just ignore that vampire and look for Shisui. But his mind wasn't thinking. All it could progress was 'Find Shisui' 'Find Shisui' as it's full with nothing but dread, panic, and worry._

_Maybe it was a good thing he listened._

"_Looks like you're the only one left."_

_That was the last thing Itachi heard before passing the last house and turning to find where that vampire was heading. When he got the vampire back into view, what he sees before him shock and paralyzed him in place. Before him, he sees that six-armed vampire and he's standing before a house that has already collapse on top of the only survivor of the village; Shisui._

_The vampire flexes his claws on three of his arms and smirks down at the dying human before him. He knows Shisui is dying before him, no matter how much fight he still has in those fearless, naturally red eyes of his. Half of his body is under burning rubble, his spin is probably broken because of it, there's blood dripping from his hairline, and the vampire can smell the amount of blood leaving the feeble body. Such a waste that so much blood is about to be wasted but he already had his full from other more appealing prey. No need to over feed, but he didn't come here to drain this human dry. He came to finish the job._

"_It was nice knowing ya." Then he raises those claws back for the kill._

_**Spluch**_

_The six-arm vampire didn't strike. He wasn't able to. He still has that smirk plastered on his face but his eyes are wide with shock and pain. Shisui's eyes, that was glaring at the vampire that was just about to end his misery, widen in shock as well but with surprise. Before him, he sees a hand that punctured right through the vampire's chest. He couldn't see who it was that did it because the vampire's body is bigger than his attacker but he didn't have to wait long to see that it was Itachi when he pulled his hand out of the vampire's chest, ripping his heart as well. Then the vampire prince kicks the vampire's body to the side and the body goes flying before hitting a tree and exploding as soon as it made contact. None of his body parts were spared. Every ounce of his flesh has disappear and only his blood remains, staining the tree, its roots, its leaves, and the ground it grows on with more blood. His body exploded like a water balloon and Itachi crushed the heart in his grip before tossing it aside; staining his claws, his hand, and his arm with the vampire's blood._

_Looking at the vampire who just saved his life for only a few minutes longer, Shisui sees the extended razor-sharp fangs and the pure hatred bleeding out of those crimson eyes of his beloved. As he snarls at what's left of the six-armed vampire, the human could hardly recognize him. Yes, it's him but at the same time, it didn't look like it. With that distorted expression full of pure hate and anger, it's the most expression Shisui has ever seen. He's seen Itachi holding his emotions back, even when he doesn't mean to and now, those hidden emotions Shisui always had to look for are now visible for him to see and they're out of control. _

"_Itachi…"_

_His voice, no matter how soft and weak it sounded, was caught by Itachi's sensitive ears. His entire expression blanked out with surprise, as if he just remembered the reason why he got so upset in the first place. To save his love._

_The prince's gaze snaps back to Shisui and seeing that burning rubble on top of him, he didn't waste any time. Using his hidden power, Itachi moves the fire from the wood to the trees above, seeing as though they're at the edge of the village. As those trees begin to burn, Itachi doesn't even care at the moment. All he cares about is freeing Shisui. Moving the remains of the house wasn't a difficult task. What was hard was taking in the sight Itachi saw as soon as he moved that wood. What he saw was all of Shisui's lower half completely distorted with every bone broken and limp twisted in directions unimaginable. It was hard to tell if what happened was really caused by a collapsed building or if it was all done intentionally. It was amazing itself that Shisui hadn't already died, for this goes beyond the full meaning of the word pain._

"_Hey there, babe. How's it going? Did things work out between you and your brother?"_

_And yet when Itachi looks back at Shisui's face, the human is smiling at him like how he always does. How can he smile when it's obvious that he's in a lot of pain? When it's obvious that he's…_

"_Shisui, don't talk." Itachi kneels before his lover and with his hand, the one not covered in blood, he strokes his face with tender care. Seeing him like this it's painful. It's so painful for the prince. The words that came out of his mouth next, he wasn't thinking. Everything just came out from the panic and the overwhelming need to save him. "Shisui, listen to me. I can give you my blood. It'll heal your wounds at least half way and then…I'll…" He couldn't believe he was going to say this, but there is no other way. If Shisui is to live then…"I'll bite you! It'll turn you into a vampire and you're survive. That's what you wanted, wasn't it? To be a vampire?"_

_He's desperate. Desperate for any chance Shisui has to survive. Itachi knows in his heart that Shisui can't die. He loves him too much to lose him and he knows what he's feeling right now is fear. Him, the prodigy of his family and the one who always faces battle with a calm, cold, emotionless expression, is feeling fear for the dying human before him._

_However, instead of looking hopeful and at the same time a bit relieved that he has an escape, Shisui's smile fades away and he looks upon the young vampire prince with eyes that hold none of that. Only understanding of what Itachi is offering him. "So we can be together, right?" he asks, even his voice sounding less enthusiastic or grateful than Itachi expected._

_He didn't like that expression or that voice at all._

"_Y-Yes," the prince was able to say, trying to hide his uneasiness. When he answered, Shisui's smile returned._

"_Don't bother. I know that I'm not going to last much longer."_

_This stunned and shock Itachi. What…is he saying? With those perceptive and knowledgeable eyes and smile of his?_

_Shisui explains, "Even if I do drink your blood, its healing powers will not affect my body quick enough to heal me and I'll die before the venom has a chance to completely run through the veins of my body. You're too young and haven't matured yet. If you were an adult vampire that would be a different story if I remember correctly in my last moments of life." With a small bit of strength he has left, Shisui moves his arm and reaches for the bloodied hand, grasping it in a reassuring grip. "I don't want you to waste your blood on me."_

_It's not just the fact that Shisui is willing to accept death that still stuns Itachi from thinking clearly. It's the fact that Shisui knows all of this. Facts about a vampire that other humans, especially from villages as peaceful as this village used to be, don't usually know and Itachi sure as heck never told him about any of it. So then…_

"_How did you…" he asks, his voice as soft as a breath. This time, Shisui's smile stays on a little longer, still full of understanding and consideration._

"_I know a few things, Itachi. I'm not that clueless." Then he tries to move so he could get a better view of his love, if it is to be the last time, but the slight movement of his hips and every bit of pain he thought he had become numb to increases and his face crunches up in pain. "Ugh!" he yelps, then squeezing Itachi's hand as a reaction to it. That woke the prince from his shock._

"_Shisui!" He squeezes the hand back, not tight enough to break the bones but tight enough to remind his lover that he's here for him. But not just that. "You can't…" He holds onto that hand for his own well being as well. "…you can't die! You just can't!"_

_Shisui took a few moments more before he spoke again. He waited till the pain subsided after he stopped moving but when he did speak, his voice was hoarse and he sounding like he was groaning at first from his pain before it faded back to normal. "Unfortunately, the death reaper is calling me. There's not much that can be done about it anymore, but Itachi, listen to me, okay? Just lend me your ears for a moment, alright?" He raises Itachi's hand and presses it's hard, soft skin against his own; not caring at all that more blood is smearing on his cheek. The smile on his face is not understanding any more. It's warm and full of so much love for the person before him. "I was so happy I've met you. You who were unlike anything I have ever seen before just popped into my life from Kyuubi knows where and went down my throat so fast I didn't know what happened till I saw you again. Our time together was the greatest times of my life and something I will always treasure even after. Right now with you here besides me, I feel happier than I did on the day we met. Maybe even happier than when we first kissed. Every person in love's greatest desire is to die in the arms of the person most precious to them." He moves that hand before his mouth and he leaves butterfly kisses on Itachi's knuckles as the prince is shaking. He feels dread and despair deep within his guts and his heart feels heavy as led. He doesn't like this. He doesn't like this at all because all the prince is hearing, listening to all of this, is Shisui's final goodbye. "Itachi, listen to me good on this part, okay? No matter what happens, I don't regret it. I don't regret meeting you, I don't regret getting to know you, I don't regret going against the natural law between vampires and humans, and I don't regret dying right here right now. All that matters to me really is the time we spent together; the conversations we had that would last all night, the smiles, and the laughs. This also goes for everyone. So long as you were happy together and you felt as though you could be yourself around them, then nothing else matters. Not the fights you might have had, the cruel words spoken to you, or the conflicts you argued about. You can forgive each other on things like that and move on to continue living a happy life together. There is no room for pain and loneliness when it could all be easily replaced with contentment and tranquility."_

_He doesn't understand. Itachi doesn't understand what Shisui is saying to him right now. He knows that he should. He's a lot smarter than he should be for his age and theoretically, he knows what the words spoken to him mean but at the same time, he doesn't understand them. It's almost like that time when Shisui talked about the vampire's 'one mate for life' rule. The vampire prince could understand and hear the words spoken to him but at the same time, he couldn't comprehend them._

_Itachi's lips are shaking. He wants to say something but his throat feels tight and the words didn't seem right in his head. But his lover waits patiently for his response, still staring at him eyes full of adoration. He didn't like any of this and he wished more than anything that none of this is true. None of this is really happening._

"_Shisui…why are you…saying this?"_

_That smile didn't fade away. Even as Itachi can now clearly see the life leaving Shisui's eyes every second that passes by. He's not going to last much longer. He is going to die; right here, right…_

"_Live on, Itachi. I want you to live, babe."_

_His last word, it sounded like a breath; his last breath. Shortly after he said that, his eyes begin to close and he shuts his eyes as if going off into peaceful slumber. In a way it is, only this is a slumber that he can never wake up ever again. The smile is still on his face. Forever there to show that he has gone on to the next world in peace but for Itachi, it doesn't bring him a bit of peace. _

"_Shisui?" he calls, his voice extremely small and meek. No, no, no! This can't be true! The look on his face, it doesn't look like he's dead at all. It just looks like he's resting his eyes and any moment now, he'll open them and he'll live. He's not dead, he's not dead…_

_But what is the use denying it?_

_Itachi can hear. He hears the crackling and the snapping of the fire burning the rest of the village behind him, the sound of the trees before him smoldering as well, and the bigger buildings that have yet to fall finally collapsing. He can hear all of that. What he can't hear that is a single heartbeat. Not of the villagers – men, woman, children, and the elderly behind him or the one before him. Everyone is dead. There are no survivors of his this village. All that's existing in this place is Itachi. Him and him alone. No one else. Everyone is…gone._

_Itachi lifts his lover up and flips him over so he was no longer laying on his stomach. Now his limb body is in the vampire prince's arms and he holds him close for one last time before that warmth that he has loved so much completely and utterly fades away. Never again to return for him to feel and love again._

"_Shisui…"_

_Everything is gone._

* * *

In front of the remains of char wood, with the slight surprise that it's still there untouched, Itachi is standing in front of that pile of ash and wood and the small boulder that stands between Itachi and this discarded shack. Under the direct sunlight, without any protection of a sun barrier, the recently freed vampire is there without pain and without reaction to the sun's harmful UV rays. That's only because he used the vile Naruto gave him that time when they were having a snack. The same night when…

Standing before the scorched remains, Itachi says one thing. "It's been a long time, Shisui."

Then the wind blows. Running through Itachi's long, tied back hair and ruffling through his clothes. It acted as if it were returning the greeting. Shisui responding to his love from beyond the grave as his ash and the ash of the old abandoned shack they first met and used to meet stays still like how it always had for the past twenty years.

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**And there we go! The end for now!**

**Now my winners are: 'WraithReaper', 'RyokuClan', 'Hitoko-sama', 'Shiroi Neko 18', 'silver woman', and 'ItachiSasukeSama'.**

**I wasn't looking for one hundred percent correct. Just those who answered that Itachi left to think. Thank you all for participating and I really don't have a question for the next chapter. I have one for the one afterwards so be patient till then. I will try my absolute hardest not to take so long this time. Till then!**


	26. I Am Lost Without You

**A/N: Hello everyone! Long time no see! I am terribly sorry. I know that one, it's been months since I updated this story and two, I said that I was going to update this for Itachi's birthday and now it's like ELEVEN DAYS LATE! Forgive me…It was harder trying to write this than I thought. I also apologize again if this chapter appears rushed in any way or just too corny for its own good. I actually really want to finish this story since it's been like a year since I published it but there are still so many things that need to be done. Like, as most of you has already noticed, the return of the Akatsuki and by the end of this chapter, there is another problem you will all probably be screaming at me about.**

**Anyhow, I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. There are times I seriously wish I did so I can see more Sasuke and/or Itachi but I'm learning to be patient with Kishimoto since he's actually doing a better job than me on updating. Thank you for those who have reviewed and are still loyal to this story, even though I'm certain that to many of you, this story fell off the face of the earth…Now please enjoy and there is a game question at the end.**

* * *

Ch. 26: I Am Lost Without You

"Sasuke, where is Itachi?" Naruto asks his protector, nothing but pure seriousness in his azure eyes. But Sasuke, like how he's been treating to everything else around him, just ignores him. At the moment, both vampires are in the library since Naruto is supposed to be on his study time but instead of doing that, the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki is trying to interrogate his protector as the vampire prince is gazing out the window again while sitting on the windowsill.

To Naruto, ever since whatever happened between Sasuke and his brother, Itachi, things have all a sudden gone downhill. After their argument, Sasuke didn't return to Naruto's side. The blonde had to be with Suigetsu, Karin, Juugo, and Kimimaro, since he knows that they together can protect and watch over him just as good as Sasuke could. Though really, he much rather be comforted by Hinata but then he would have to tell her what's troubling him and Sakura would be there on cloud nine. He really doesn't want to deal with that and he doesn't want to worry Hinata either. So he went to the only four people he knows that Sasuke has an undying-love towards his brother and know that the vampire prince is on the verge of mating with someone else because of it. The four of them don't know the truth, like how he does, so it's confusing to them that Sasuke wouldn't just go for it. Naruto would tell them. They deserve to know but he doesn't want to destroy the trust he has with his protector. The prince is more shattered than a broken vase. He doesn't want to hurt him anymore. But then this morning, since Naruto hasn't seen any of the two Uchiha brothers the rest of the day yesterday, he was shocked to hear the rumors of the servants.

"Ne, is it true? Has Itachi-sama really gone missing?"

"I think so. No one has seen him since the match between him and his brother."

"But where has he gone? Sasuke-sama is really depressed. I saw him in the hallway and I was too stunned to walk past him. It was like all of the happiness in the world was just drained out of him. Usually he doesn't acknowledge us servants when we have small encounters, but he acted like the world no longer existed."

"It was the same way with Itachi-sama when I saw him."

"Wait! He's still here?"

"It was yesterday though! When I saw him… I was in the hallway where his room resides and I just saw him quickly walk in and lock himself up for the day. I heard from Miyumi-chan that when she tried to get him to come for dinner, he didn't even respond. She had to peak in to see if he was still there. Then when I was asked to call him down for breakfast, he still didn't respond and he wasn't in his room when I checked. No one else has seen him."

"Do you think that something might have happened between him and Sasuke-sama after the fight? How bad was he when you saw him?"

"It was only a moment when I saw him, but like what you said about Sasuke-sama. He looked completely broken and shattered, like everything that made sense or had meaning in his life was lost. I really hope wherever he is, Itachi-sama is okay."

"Sasuke-sama, too, for both of their sakes."

There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that Sasuke told Itachi the truth about everything. How he was the one who sent the attack on Shisui's village and killed everyone there, all for the sake of keeping his brother to himself because he loved him so much. It's also because of that love that the younger vampire prince is willing to go against his heart and suffer alone to repent. No way Itachi wouldn't act like that if that didn't happen. As soon as Naruto figured that out, he instantly went looking for his protector – not caring at all if he would have to face the wrath of the Uchiha's family youngest son. He found him in the library and the first thing Sasuke said to him was…

"You're late, usuratonkachi."

Naruto didn't realize right away that it was around this time of the day that it's study time for him. If he had realize that earlier and that Sasuke was still willing to act like nothing was wrong, Naruto probably wouldn't have searched the whole castle trying to find him. Why didn't he just find Karin to ask where he is? It's because he was in a rush, she wasn't anywhere nearby when he decided to look for Sasuke, and because he wasn't thinking rationally. Now he's here, the jinchuriki is a bit tired for running all over the place, and the first words that came out of his mouth once he got air back in his lungs again was that question; 'where is Itachi?'

When the raven head didn't respond, Naruto yells, "Sasuke!" to make sure that he heard him.

"I don't know, dope," the prince answers, sounding overly exhausted like he's been asked that question a hundred times today. He doesn't look away from the view of the window as he talks, "I am no longer responsible for his actions. Everything he does is his own choice."

Hearing that made Naruto's eyes widen in realization. "You freed him?"

"Impressive. You've gotten sharper in your common sense."

At this moment, Naruto does not have time for any of his crap. "Sasuke! What happened when I left?"

The prince lets out a sigh before he replies to that. "What are you talking about? If you're refereeing to the rumors those servants were spreading this morning, forget it. They are what they are. Rumors."

This apathetic attitude of his and the longer he tries to ignore the question, the more irritated Naruto becomes. He may not have stood up against Sasuke in the past about this subject but right now, he's reached his limits on being nice. The jinchuriki goes up to his protector and roughly grabs the collar of the guy's shirt. Sasuke could have stopped him but what was the point? One moment, he's looking at the forest around his home in the afternoon light and the next he's face-to-face with the vampire god's host and is looking directly into Naruto's glowing red eyes. The difference in the red eyes between regular vampires and the jinchuriki is Naruto's eyes almost look like cat eyes; vertical skinny pupils that only appear when Naruto is really upset.

"Sasuke, I'm your friend! Don't you dare lie to me! I know something happened between you and Itachi-teme so what is it?"

"And why should I tell you?" the vampire prince asks, now sounding a little angry himself. He pushes the jinchuriki off of him and faces him fully as he asks, "Just because I told you what happened all those years ago, you think that I should tell you everything that happened in my life?"

"As the only person in this castle who knows what happened, you should!" he responds, shouting one more time before lowering his tone so no one else besides the two of them know of this conversation. "Sasuke, you can tell me anything that is on your mind. I am not your enemy and I am not going to judge you. You should know all of that by now since I didn't judge you when you confessed to me when we just met!"

"I was a kid and highly emotional. I could have told my own parents if it was them pestering me on the other side of the door instead of you! Hell! I could have confessed to some other random servant!"

"Uchiha Sasuke, as your god, I demand that you tell me what happened!"

When he heard that order, Sasuke's mouth shut, his eyes widen with shock, and his mouth became a firm straight line. He didn't expect Naruto to say that and right now, the blonde doesn't look at all guilty for using that power that he would rather never use. Sasuke pushed him that far and now he has to pay the price for it. Because of that cursed power right now, he doesn't feel like keeping what happened a secret any longer. He feels like pouring out everything to his god.

"I..Itachi and I…we talked," he struggled to say. _'Damnit, Naruto!'_ "I told him."

Naruto nods to show that he understands. "Is that all?" he asks.

"What do you mean 'that's all'? That's all there is to it!" Sasuke replies instead of just answering the question. That didn't please the Vampire God.

"Sasuke, it may have been easy for me when you told me because, like you said, you were a highly emotional child at the time. But for you to tell him the truth, something else must have happened for you to even consider telling him."

God, this guy is so annoying! The more he pushes it, the more irritated Sasuke becomes. That once calm, emotionless façade Sasuke was using earlier this day has gone out the window and ran off to Kyuubi knows where. He responds, "I am giving you the whole reason why he left! That's why you're ordering me to tell what happened, right?"

"Then Sasuke, tell me what else happened!"

And that desire to spill out everything pulls on Sasuke's guts again after he heard that. Naruto is not going to waste time at all arguing about every little thing that his protector says. He's going right to the point and he won't allow any distractions to confuse him. Damn…

"He…He first asked me if I knew," Sasuke answers, really not wanting to but he has no choice. Naruto waits patiently for his protector to continue or to explain what he means by that and that causes the prince to sigh and calm his nerves. No use hiding it anymore. "Obviously, he must have heard our conversation before you left. He confronted me and asked if I knew he was in love with a human. I told him yes and I yelled at him for it. Then he asked me if I loved him." At that point, Naruto's eyes widen when he heard this. As far as he knows, that sounds as good of 'Itachi has also fallen for his brother' as it's going to get. "I lied but that was useless, and when I told him that it wouldn't make a difference if I said 'yes', he said it would change a lot. Then he tried to kiss me but I pushed him away. I told him the same thing I told you. That love is disgusting and that his human deserved to be burned in his village when he took Itachi away from me. Obviously, he got angry and told me I had no right to say that about his lover. I told him that _he_ didn't have the right to lecture me about that. I gave him the full blow of what I thought over the years. Of the pain I felt losing him and…he apologized. Can you believe that?"

Along the line as he was confessing to his blonde friend and his god, he lost his anger, his frustration, and his anxiety. Now he feels nothing but the sorrow that's plagued him for the past twenty years and the self-hate that has also piled up on him. Not to forget the massive amount of each since his brother came back into his life. His eyes and the weak smile that eventually appeared on his face show all of that.

"That guy actually apologized for the pain that I caused for myself. A pain that I deserve, and he goes and apologizes for it? Pathetic, isn't it?"

Seeing him like this, it made Naruto lose all of his anger as well. His eyes have gone back to its natural sky blue color and now they look like small pools of sympathy and pity. "Sasuke-"

"No, wait. Let me finish," the vampire prince quickly interrupts. "You want me to finish, right? There's very little left but it's important. After he apologized, I couldn't take it anymore. This whole time, I wanted him to suffer because he made me this way. I wanted him to pay every second of his life for the wasted years I spent moping over him. But one apology and I realized that wasn't what I wanted." The pitiful crocked smile reappears on his face and he has that same feeling he had before when he admitted his truth to Itachi. That same feeling of wanting to spill everything to the person in front of him. His own feeling and his alone; not something that was commanded of him. "I wanted him to apologize. I wanted him to realize the pain he caused me and beg me for forgiveness for it. Just two little words. Nothing else and he gave it to me. Heh, it would only be right if I told him that I was sorry, too; for acting like how I did and for also causing him pain. His apology made me want to get down on my knees and beg him for forgiveness. I wouldn't care if he killed me. It would only be fit if he did that but when it came to my time to apologize, I couldn't do it. I just told him and acted like I didn't feel guilty about it at all. I wanted him to punish me. Kill me with all the hate he posses, but he didn't. He just became a doll and walked away. He left me to rot in my misery, because death would only be doing me kindness and that's so like the nii-san I know."

Then he looks away. If he can't hide the truth from his god and friend, then the least he can hide away is his own face. He can feel them coming again. His vision is already starting to blur with tears wanting and threatening to fall. But he won't have it. To save the last bit of pride he has left, he hides his face and tries to compose himself in front of the open window; feeling the warm rays on his ivory skin and cursing the sun barrier for not allowing him to be burned to ash.

Almost like that time in the trial, Naruto just looks at his protector's form with nothing but pure sympathy and pain – as if feeling a small bit of that pain the prince is feeling right now. But he can never fully understand. Just like how Sasuke said yesterday, Naruto has someone who loves him just as much as he loves her. He doesn't know what it's like to live on the sidelines and watch your most precious person give their heart to another like you're no longer there. Then in your rage and pain, you hurt that person so they can feel the pain they caused you. Before you knew it, you open your eyes and you see that person in so much pain you want nothing more than to suffer more than them because it's a pain you deserve. Instead of them becoming the cold, heartless monster that no longer cares, you become that cold, heartless monster and you hate yourself for it. You hate it more than the love you have for the person you hurt.

But can a pain such as that possibly compare to the pain of being offered a chance with your most precious person when they didn't even know what you've done? It would have been the same as living a lie; living on as if nothing happened between you and all is forgiven when no words of apology was ever given. Sasuke lived like that for three days with his brother and Itachi was even considering of starting over with a new love.

That will never happen now. The truth is out and he left. Probably never to return unless with every intention of killing them all. The truth destroyed all chance of happiness for both him and the young prince. That is the pain Naruto sees from Sasuke's back. That is the pain he is trying to conceal.

"Sasuke, as your god, it's okay to cry in front of me."

When he heard that, Sasuke's eyes instantly widen in shock and his breath hitched. In no time at all, the tears he tried so hard to hold back, even the tears that he refused himself to shed yesterday, come leaking out; rolling down his face one at a time. His shock deepens when he can feel them coldly coming down. He doesn't turn around to yell at the Kyuubi Jinchuriki to ask why the hell he did that. No, that wouldn't help his pride in the least. But he does raise his hand to his face to be sure that he's really crying.

"What…" is all he can say, really. Those hot tears against his skin, his eyes burning with much more, the tightness in his throat, and the crystals that drip from his chin and down to the ground all release years of his sorrow, years of his angst, years of his stress; bit by bit.

Naruto saw that too. He approaches his protector and hugs him from behind. He knows that the prince doesn't want him to look at him right now. Sasuke didn't expect this in his moment of bewilder as he can feel the blonde's arms tighten their grip a little more as they're wrap around his torso.

"I've seen you cry before. You don't have to hide from me but if you don't want me to see, then I won't. Just don't hold it in anymore. I hate it when you're in pain," he pleads him. Hearing his voice and the way that he spoke, Sasuke can tell that Naruto is on the verge of crying himself. The only difference between the two of them is Naruto won't hesitate to let his tears fall. In moments' time, he will cry and he'll be crying for him. A sinner who no longer deserves sympathy, pity, or love.

Instead of shoving him off and telling him to get lost, like how Sasuke did yesterday, the prince just stands there and more tears keep coming out. It's like his pain just became a running faucet on his face and now Naruto just turned the knob a little more to let more tears come flowing out. At the moment, Sasuke cannot tell when it'll be the end of them and now being given permission to do so, he's not going to try and stop them now. It's just like that time all those years ago. He's in the arms of the boy who ordered him out of room just so he could cry when really he wanted someone else to be the one to comfort him and it was after the blonde spoke nothing but kindness to him – kindness he needed but didn't want. Now here he is again in those same arms with a tear-covered face and being spoken words of unwanted comfort.

'_Naruto…thank you.'_

Both of Sasuke's hands rise up to his face and now trying to hide them from the world itself, he covers his eyes with his hands and silently sobs into them.

'_Itachi…I'm sorry.'_

Soon his legs became too weak to hold him any longer. He collapses to the ground and Naruto comes down with him; not even for a moment letting his friend go. Tears are already silently running down his face while Sasuke makes small sniffling sounds and small cries of his pain.

'_I'm so, so sorry. Nii-san, Where are you?'_

* * *

After greeting the ash and the char wood, and nature responding back to him, Itachi just stands there a moment longer with his doll-like, reserved expression. Here he is, in front of his dead lover's grave, in which he hasn't visited since he made it twenty years ago, and for the moment, he has nothing to say. What can he say? Sorry that he has never visited, even when he might have been in the area during his vampire hunting missions? But it could be a start, right? It just feels weird to him. The last time the vampire prince was here, he carried his lover's body to the old shack where they first met and he set the place on fire – sending Shisui's soul to the stars up above. He also burned the shack out of his own selfish reasons. He didn't want anyone else to use it when he felt as those the shacked belonged to him and Shisui. It was their special place and no one else's.

Standing before the grave, Itachi can still remember that day as clear as if it were yesterday. The crackling sounds of fire as it burned the village to the ground, the revolting and irresistible scent of blood and roosting bodies, and the very heat of hell. Itachi could also still remember what he did after Shisui died. When he died, all the vampire prince could do was hold him. He didn't deny the reality that his lover was dead, not when his body was so close and he could not hear his heart beat. He held on to him as if he were holding onto life, sense, and meaning itself. Maybe he held him for hours or maybe even a few minutes. Even now, he can't remember how long he held on. The heat of the fires being so close was what kept the body so warm, even its blood. Itachi fell so deep in his grief that he let his instincts control him. He went onto autopilot and the first thing his instincts wanted to do was drink Shisui's dead blood.

The blood of the dead doesn't do any harm to a vampire, so long as it's still warm. Cold blood is what paralyzes them since their bodies are already naturally cold. The only thing that isn't is the blood they take from their victims; helping their organs mobilize and function so they can continue existing on this earth. That's why a vampire needs blood and if they drink cold blood, then they'll become paralyze and greatly weakened. Injecting that blood is the same as being a container for an extremely hot substance mix with something cold and drinking that cold is the same as being in an ice land and eating frozen food. The body can't mobilize that way, nor can it handle it for long periods of time.

Itachi drank Shisui's blood that night. As a vampire, he naturally had the desire for it but he knew that if he bit Shisui, he would have turned him into a vampire if he stopped himself from killing him. But that wasn't the only reason why Itachi drank his blood. In his own naïve mind, still irrational by love, he wanted Shisui's blood inside of him. Like a fantasy of still feeling that warmth he loved so much flowing inside of him; taking a part of Shisui with him so they can always be together, even though he would always have his heart.

After drinking Shisui's blood, Itachi took his body to the shack and burned it. He made it his grave and he watched it all burn to the ground. Then the sun came out and he had to hide away before he could set out to what he decided to do. He decided to allow the animal within to do what it wanted. When you take a loved one away from an animal, the animal gets angry and when it's angry, it wants revenge.

From that one vampire he killed in Shisui's village, he knew he wasn't working alone and he knew where to find the rest of them. He infiltrated the Sound Vampire's hideout without warning or hesitation and he killed them. Four other vampires – one woman, twins, and one fat man. He ignored their cries, their pleas of mercy, and their excuses. He cut them all up until they were nothing but mincemeat in their hideout, he watched the life leave their eyes, he watch them paralyze themselves with fear until his sword met their heads, he was drenched in their blood, and he decorated the walls with it as well. He did all of that without blinking and without a single ounce of remorse.

"_We didn't attack for no good reason! We were hired to do it and given permission to carry it out!"_

That was actually the last cry he heard before he chopped of that vampire's head; and like someone just splashed cold water on him, he woke up from his high on revenge and actually stopped and think. Those five Sound Vampires only attack human villagers when hired to do so, rather it was by the right or the wrong guys. They didn't care so long as they get payment – like straight out blood or money to go to some giant city and buy their food; prostitutes, runaways, or kidnapped slaves. If those Sound Vampires attacked humans, they would only attack what they need to survive. Not just for the hell of it. Besides, they left way too much blood to attack on their own accord. However, recalling all of that became too late. Itachi killed them and as far as he knew, he had to clean up. He burned their hideout with their bodies in it and that was actually the very same night he met the Akatsuki leader.

Leader didn't attack him on first sight. In fact, he tried to have a pleasant conversation with the vampire prince. Praising him for killing the very vampires he decided to kill that night. He was the one who re-lighted the flames of revenge in Itachi's heart; that man who read him like an open book and explained to him exactly what he was feeling and thinking. Looking at it theoretically, it was no surprise really that Itachi went with him and became the hunter he was until a few days. Now everything in his head is all messed up. With the words he was told, the decisions he swore to do, and the feelings in his own heart, he doesn't know what to do anymore or what to believe. He was so sure before but now… It's a battle between his emotions and his honor inside of him and like all the times when he was troubled, he came to Shisui seeking for answers.

"Forgive me, Shisui. For only visiting you now after all these years," he starts. "I swore to myself I wouldn't come here until I avenged your death. I know you told me to go on with my life but I always believed that without you, there was no longer any meaning to why I should exist. Until now, it was always revenge but recently I…" For the moment, he stops himself to gather his thoughts. He knows talking to a grave is nothing like talking to the actual person. It's unrealistic to think he's actually communicating to the dead and really, it's a waste of his time and air. But that doesn't subside the need to talk to him and for childishly believing for one moment, Shisui can still hear him. "Visiting your grave wasn't the first thing I've done after twenty years. I came home but with every intent to kill everyone. I'd forgotten I still had a family who were waiting for my return and that I had hurt people precious to me long before I decided to end their misery. They were prepared for my attack and I was captured. Instead of punishing me for all of the vampires I've killed over the years, they only decided to turn me back into a vampire and make my little brother my master. These past few days, my world had gone completely upside down. At first it was ridiculous and unreasonable torture, but I was also receiving kindness and compassion I didn't deserve. The only ones who actually showed me anger and betrayal were people who suffered more deeply than anyone else. One because of a lost love my organization took away and another because I left…and he was the cause of it.

"Shisui…Sasuke, my little brother…he was the one who sent the attack on your village. A child who lived for fourteen human years killed you because he loved me more than anything. He thought you were taking me away from him and blinded by love and rage, he did the extreme. When I was there and without him realizing it, he wanted my forgiveness. He knew what he did was wrong and he suffered all these years because of it. He made it his drive to became someone who I at first didn't recognize but was complete in awed at. I even…I even fell for him before I knew the truth. Shisui, I'm so sorry but even as I'm standing before you now, I still feel it. No one can ever replace you but I love him. I don't know how or why it happened in only a short amount of time but I can't get him out of my mind…or his kiss.

"But I can't just forgive him and forget. He killed you and your village, and everything I've done were the aftermaths of his actions. Yet, I've seen the pain he's in and how he keeps making himself suffer for it. But I still feel pain, too. I can't just forget it. We experience it for a reason, right? How can we just let it go? Although…I…"

_Drip_

Itachi gasps when he realizes what just happened. His mind was in denial but his hand reached up to his face to make sure. Pressing his hand against his cheek, his eyes widen even more in shock as he can feel the wet trail his tear left behind. He's…crying?

If knowing that Sasuke hasn't cried in twenty years is a shock, then knowing that Itachi hasn't cried since he was four vampire-years old is enough to make anyone ask their doctor to prescribe heart medication. When Itachi was four, or rather eight, he saw a battle of war when he wasn't supposed to. It was an accident for him to see, but right there and then he saw what vampires were really capable of and it forever changed his mind into thinking that vampires like himself are the real monster; not vampire hunters. He didn't even cry when Shisui died. He wanted to and it felt only right that he should have, but he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, tears wouldn't come out and yet, he's talking to Shisui now about Sasuke and a tear finally broke free. It was one but that alone is astonishing enough for this vampire prince. Now all of his emotions – his grief, his sorrow, his agony, all of it are coming to the surface and all it took was one tear to break his icy barrier.

'_I can't hate him,'_ he concludes in his head, lowering his face so his bangs could cover his eyes and gritting his teeth together as if trying to keep it together and keep his emotions where they belong; inside. How he is, Itachi doesn't think he can still talk and, for the sake of his pride, only allow one tear to fall. He can feel more probably just waiting for him to crack and come flowing out of his eyes like a never ending waterfall. But he can't. After so long of never crying, he just can't bring himself to sob like a little girl now. _'It's been him all along, hasn't it? I don't want to be separated from him anymore. I want to hold him in my arms and never let him go. I don't want him to suffer anymore. But how can I forgive your murderer? Shisui, I….I'm so lost…I can't…'_

"AHHHH! Someone help me!"

Hearing that little cry, Itachi is suddenly pulled back from his thoughts. He slowly and almost casually looks over his shoulder towards that sound and he can hear more cries of someone, or something, that sounds like a child.

"Someone? Anyone? Onii-chan, help me!"

* * *

Not too far from Shisui's grave is a cliff. A cliff that's over fifty feet high above ground level and hanging from the edge of that cliff is a boy. A human boy that could be no older than the age of seven or eight. Gingerbread orange shaggy hair just barely touching his shoulders and a cap on his head. He has on a dirtied white buttoned shirt with several buttons actually missing and some tears here and there, tucked in a long brown pants that's just as dirty and even more tears than the shirt. Shoes that are scratched and old looking and one sock on his feet and he has a darker brown jacket on cooking his body more than it should be. His emerald green eyes first wide and frightful until he closes them shut from the pain in his arms of holding his own weight on the edge this stiff dirt pile. He tried to use his feet to help himself up but every time he pushed off the wall of dirt, his feet would just slide off or knock down some rocks that would fall to the ground that await him for his crushing death. The boy whimpered and tears of fear and panic peek and glossed his eyes. He didn't want to die but no one he knows of is around. Yet, that doesn't stop him from screaming for help.

"ONII-CHAN, HELP ME!"

He tries to kick himself up again but when he slipped again, his body shifted something in his clothes. The fear and the panic disappeared on his face for a moment as he can feel an object shift and then slide down his body. Before that object slips past his waist, he quickly releases one hand from the cliff and catches it. With his clothes still hiding that object under his clothes, he now has a better grip on it and makes sure that it doesn't end like those rocks beneath him.

But now he has a problem.

He only has one hand holding him between life and death…

…and he's looking down.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

_Crack_

At last, the edge of the cliff, the only thinking holding him in mid air, has crumbled and this little boy now begins to fall just like the dirt and rocks falling with him and those that have fallen earlier than him.

"EEEYYYYYAAAAA! ONII-CHAN!"

But today is not going to be the day he is to die.

Already fifteen feet down, Itachi leaps from the edge of the cliff falls straight down for the child; have using his legs to push him off the edge to help him go down much quicker. Seeing him with tears already dripping from his eyes, the boy's emerald eyes widen in surprise of seeing someone purposely jump off the cliff and actually coming straight for him. In no time at all, Itachi reaches the boy and holds him close before quickly shifting his position from falling face first to the ground to an upright position. All the while, the boy instantly clings onto this mysterious man and clenches his eye lids shut from the sudden position change. By the time they both reach the ground, they didn't go _splat_ or their bodies becoming nothing more than piles of jelly. In fact, Itachi landed gracefully and effortlessly on the ground without any harm whatsoever. Like a cat falling out of tree, lands on its feet without any harm or effort.

Once his feet were stable on solid ground, Itachi turns his attention to the little human boy he now has quivering in his arms; having not loosened his grip on Itachi's clothes nor open his eyes to see if he's alive or dead. "You can open your eyes now."

Slowly and rather hesitant if he should believe this stranger who helped him, the boy slightly opens his eyes and then blinks them wide open when he saw the trees and the sunshine shining through them. First he's shocked that he's seeing these new surroundings and then he looks at himself to see if he really is solid flesh and not some gucky mess. He's alive and instantly he turns to the person holding him with a big happy smile on his face.

"Thank you, mister. You saved me." But then his rapturous moment is instantly gone when he looks at the face of his savoir. With some concern but mostly curiosity, he asks "Mister, are you alright? Your eyes are red."

What he means by red is not the red irises that vampires would have when they're agitated or hungry but rather Itachi's eyes are bloodshot. He didn't sleep last night and he practically just had a small crying moment in front of his dead lover's grave. It was only a tear but that doesn't excuse the stress in his eyes that this child can obviously see.

Instead of rubbing his eyes or touching his face at all to prove to this child that he had been crying, Itachi only answers, "I'm fine," with his doll like expression hiding anything else this child might see. "What are you doing out here on your own?"

Being distracted with the question, the boy answers, "I'm trying to get back to my onii-chan. I'm lost."

"I see." From looking at the small boy in his arms, Itachi looks up at the cliff. Trying to walk back up there will take too long and just by looking at this little boy's face, Itachi can tell the boy would only get lost if he tells him how he can get back up there. He just has that look on his face that tells him that. The average time to get back up there will take at least an hour but for a child and the possibility of getting lost, the sun might set long before he reaches it and the boy will be an easy target to other vampires; vampires that would love to get a taste of this boy's innocent, pure blood. "Do you know how to get home if I take you to that cliff?"

"Um…I think so."

"Alright. Hold on tight then." Like he isn't clinging onto him enough.

Before the boy could ask anything at all, Itachi leaps into the air towards the cliff. The boy lets out a yelp and closes his eyes again as he regains his death grip on Itachi's shit. He's too scared to see but he can feel the wind flapping through his clothes and rushing through as much hair as visible while Itachi lands on one part of the cliff and instead of slipping like the boy, he leaps again and rises up higher and higher. Just like landing, Itachi rises back up to the level the two of them were originally at without any difficulty or sweat. He lands gracefully on the ground and again turns back to the boy in his arms. "We've arrive."

Opening his eyes again but not as hesitant as before, the child does as he was told and his face perks up when he recognizes the scenery around them. "Wow! Amazing! That was so cool!" he exclaims his voice and face expressing everything he just said. When he turns back to Itachi again, that big happy smile is back on his face. "Ne, ne, big brother! Are you a vampire?"

Hearing this catches Itachi slightly off guard.

"Yes. I am. You're not afraid?"

The boy shakes his head before answering. "No! I think vampires are really cool. Especially the one in this journal!"

Now this is…out of the ordinary, for Itachi anyway. He could be used to this kind of reaction from the humans working inside the Uchiha castle but not outside of it.

The human child, with that smile still plastered on his face, goes to inside his raggedy clothes and pulling out of his jacket, he takes out a book that looks more worn out than his clothes and a lot older. But surprisingly, it appears to still be in pretty good shape. This journal, as depleted of its once original beauty with the dirt smudges and the pages yellow and crumble looking with age, also has some burn marks on the edge of the cover, some on the spin, and mostly the pages. That's what catches Itachi's attention the most. Those burn marks…

"Where did you get that?" he asks.

"I found it!" the boy answers, now acting like he's on cloud nine with no fear in his voice or face whatsoever. "It's the story of a vampire hunter falling in love with a vampire. My brother already read it to me but I ask him to read to me every night. He doesn't understand why I love it so much when he says that it has contents I really shouldn't be listening to."

This child…he…he's _something_.

A bit unsure about him, and really a bit unsure of the whole thing, Itachi tells him, "However, the journal already belongs to someone else. You should return it."

"I would but I know that owner is already dead. I found it in an abandoned village."

An abandoned village? As far as the vampire prince knows, there is only one abandoned village near this area and not only has it all been burned to the ground that really no trace of anything should be left, it was a village that harbored no vampire hunters. It was just a once normal, peaceful village.

Right?

"I see. Do you know where to go from here?"

When the boy heard Itachi ask that, it caught him off guard. The child lowers the journal and on his face, the smile has left him. He mumbles, "Yes."

Upon hearing that answer, Itachi tells him, "Then this is where we part." He lowers the boy down on the ground and the child quickly looks up at him as he says, "You should return to your brother before it gets dark. Other vampires will come out by then. Vampires worst than me." Then he turns around to leave.

But then…"Wait!" A small hand grabs the end of Itachi shirt, stopping him briefly so he may look back down at the child who had once a joyful smile and now a sad and lonely frown on his young face. "I know the way but…please don't leave me! I…I don't want to be alone anymore. At least until I find my brother, please!" Now he even looks tempted to cry now if Itachi tells him 'no'.

However seeing this boy pleading for his company, his voice sounding soft and fragile, his green eyes facing down as if almost ashamed to show them, and his little grip preventing Itachi to leaves reminds him so much of Sasuke when he would beg for his brother not to leave him. It's not the same but it's similar, especially when the boy himself appears the same age Sasuke was when Itachi left him. Seeing him and making the comparison, it stirs something in the older Uchiha prince.

"Are you absolutely sure you want the company of a vampire?"

Before the boy could even blink, Itachi is kneeling before him to his height and they're face-to-face. Their faces actually so close to each other it stilled the child where he stands even when he's not looking in blood-shot eyes but the eyes belonging to that of a hungry vampire, gazing into the very depths of his soul like a sharp knife stabbing deep into his flesh. He couldn't move and he couldn't turn his eyes away from Itachi's. Not even when the vampire's ice cold hand rise up to his face and brushed its fingers against his warm flesh. "Yes, I saved you but maybe I did that so I could devour your blood while your heart still beats. To me, you are nothing but food and of best quality. A human's blood is best when it's young and still harbors its innocence." Opening his mouth a little wider, Itachi's fangs have lengthened to prove his words. Anyone at this point would have been scared out of their minds. Their brains screaming for them to run as far away from him as fast as they can to stay alive, but their legs would be buckling and refusing to move.

"If you wanted to have eaten me, you would have done it already. Not wait to tell me."

But this kid isn't scared at all. This child is completely unaffected by it at all. He was just surprised that Itachi pulled a super fast one on him. Seeing this reaction instead of what he expected catches Itachi off guard but what really surprises him is the small smile that appeared on the child's face after he said that.

"Big brother is a kind vampire because big brother is trying to scare me away with a valuable lesson. I really like you."

What…in the…world…?

Seeing that this isn't going to work, Itachi drops his little scary face and backs away from him. "You're a strange child." _'Just like…'_

Just like Shisui.

All Itachi could think when that idea came to his head is, _'Are all the humans in this area not afraid of vampires?'_ However making that comparison this time, it distresses the prince. First this kid reminds him of his once innocent and foolish little brother and now he has the same thoughts and actions towards a vampire that Shisui had; the ones that fascinated Itachi so much.

When several moments of silence past, that brought Itachi back from his thoughts. This boy just doesn't seem the type to stay quiet for as long as he had. So when Itachi looked at him, he sees the boy staring at him. Just staring. "Why are you staring at me?"

As if caught with his hand in the cookie jar, the boy's face flushes red with embarrassment and he lets out, "Ah! I'm sorry and I know that I've already called you 'big brother' but I have to ask you something. Are you really a man or are you a woman?"

Huh?

Not only do they have the same lack of danger to probably one of the most dangerous creatures on the face of the planet but they have the same confusion on determining what Itachi's gender is at first sight. Now Itachi really wants to know what is wrong with humans now-a-days. Why can't they act like normal humans who scream and cower in fear of even the very word 'vampire' or feel the need to kill the blood-thirsty parasite like the Akatsuki? But no… Shisui and this boy have to act like bug-nerds examining one!

Just in case the child would start explaining why he's confused on Itachi's gender when he's asked why he thinks like that, trying to sound as normal as possibly the vampire prince answers, "I'm a man. Why would you ask such a question after you called me 'big brother'?" But even he can tell that his voice sounds too dead to be considered 'normal'. His whole body is practically frozen with disbelief for even being asked that.

The boy answers him, "I just have to make sure! I know I called you 'big brother' but maybe you were just letting me call you that because you're so kind!"

'_Believe me, if I was really a girl, I would've say something.'_ As that thought passes through Itachi's mind, he wasn't frozen anymore. He just has his face half hidden away from his hand and he has a brow twitching in annoyance. This child even has that same ability to make Itachi's patience become rather low. Maybe it's because of their ignorance or maybe their stupidity.

"Ne, ne," the boy calls, as he tugs on Itachi's sleeve. Dare he does, the Uchiha prince looks back at the child and he asks, "what's big brother's name?"

Finally! A normal question.

"Itachi."

However as soon as he answered, the boy's face lost his embarrassment, his eyes became the size of entrée plates, and his mouth nearly became just as wide as he lets out a big and loud gasp. Now what? "Then…! Then…! Then…!"

"If you have something to say, please say it."

"Then you must be the vampire in this book!"

What the?

This really catches Itachi off guard, even more so when the boy raises the journal in his arms again. "Pardon?" he asks, to be absolutely sure he was told what he think he was told.

Now waving the book in the air, the boy frantically answers him, "This journal! This journal! The owner talked about meeting a vampire that was beautiful beyond compare but by his personality and looks, it was hard to tell at first if the vampire was really a girl or a boy! The vampire's name was 'Itachi' and the owner…" Losing his train of thought, it showed on the child's face. After taking a short moment to try and remember it, he gives up and opens the book. "The owner…" Flipping through the pages since he ended up in the middle of the book and he quickly makes his way to the front, and he found the name. "The owner's name was Shisui!"

The second he said that name, Itachi's doll dead face instantly inhaled life.

"Let me see that!" he says to the child, almost desperately. He didn't give the boy time to answer or react at all. He just snatched the journal from the child's hands and the first place he looked at was the back of the front cover. Right there it says 'Property of Shisui'. Still not believing it and letting his disbelief become his adrenaline, Itachi flips through the pages like a mad man, searching for the page that will contain the contents of writing of the day they both first met.

Once he found the page, it read, _**'Today is probably the most unbelievable day of my life and I know for a fact that if anyone but me reads this, I could be charged with treason and killed. Today, I've met a vampire, and not just any vampire. But the most beautiful, spunkiest vampire I've ever met. I hardly even want to call him a vampire. If he was only a human, I wouldn't be so confused and so annoyed on how I should feel right now. My mind hurts and I feel torn in half. I should have just let the vampire to die in that sunlight but noooo… I had to drag the parasite to an abandoned shed so it wouldn't burst like a water balloon of blood. Again, if anyone else besides me read this, I'm screwed.'**_

'_Impossible!'_

* * *

"Wait! Sasuke!" Naruto calls after his protector.

Not slowing in his walking or even bothering to look at the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, Sasuke replies, "What do you want, dope?"

"Where are you going? I mean, you need to help me study, right?" Naruto asks, trying to act as normal as he can but he has a gut-pulling feeling that's just screaming to him that whatever Sasuke is planning is not good.

Especially when he replies with that monotone voice of his, "You can study yourself. There is something important I need to discuss with father and mother." And as soon as he said that, Naruto's fears instantly become a reality and he stopped walking from the very shock of it.

Oh no…

"No, wait, Sasuke!" he calls again, now rushing up to his protector's side. "You're not doing what I think you're doing, are you?"

Without hesitation or even a moment to think or depress about it, Sasuke answers, "Probably am."

"Sasuke, you can't!" This time, Naruto grabs Sasuke's sleeve and halts him from walking. Desperately, he pleads, "Just wait a little longer."

"For what?" he finally snaps. Yanking his sleeve away from the blonde's grip, the young Uchiha prince faces the vampire god's host and reminds him, "He's not going to come back on good terms. He's going to come to attack and we need to prepare for it. He's probably already with his organization as we speak, planning strategies and counter-attacks." With that, hopefully, last word, he continues towards his destination and still trying to stop him, Naruto continues his pursuit.

"I know that's not why you're going to see your parents! Sasuke, please don't do this."

"If I am going to die, the least I can do is give my parents what they've been wanting me to do for the past four years. I'm going to mate with Sakura and there is nothing you can do that's going to change my mind."

* * *

**And there we go. FINALLY! But now we got things to worry about! I told you, you might be shocked with the ending. I betcha most of you are screaming at your computer or phone screens right now, right my loyal ItaSasu fans?**

**Anyway, so how was it? Bad? Good? Alright for not updating after several months? Let me know. Criticism is welcomed. The new game question is…**

**If Itachi decides to return home, will he make it in time before or after Sasuke's agreement to Sakura's engagement?**

**And...(yes, I am having a second question)**

**Would Itachi return to his home in peace or will he come to kill Sasuke?**

**Note: the game questions will not be answered until two chapters from now.**

**Until next time!**


	27. Paying You Back

**A/N: Hello everyone! As promised, I have written you all one more chapter of YOMO once before Sasuke's birthday because the next chapter will revolve mostly around him and it'll be half of my birthday present to him; the other half will be a one-shot dedication called 'Love Distraction'. I hope that will work out better than my Itachi one did… I'm sorry, Itachi senpai!**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. Oh how I wished but 'wishing only wounds the heart' – and I quote that from the song I'm Not That Girl from the Broadway hit, **_**Wicked**_**. Sorry about that. Thank you all for those who have reviewed and are playing my little game. For those that haven't turned in their answers yet can still vote and, just a quick note, if this chapter feels a little rushed, I'm sorry. I actually have more inspiration for my next chapter than I do for this one. Heheh. Please enjoy!**

* * *

Ch. 27: Paying You Back

"This is bad. This is bad. This is b-a-d…." Naruto repeats over and over as he walks in circles. Watching him is Suigetsu, Karin, Kimimaro, and Juugo. All of them have their eyes following him but Suigetsu is the only one with a raised brow while the others are just watching him. "This is bad. This is bad. This is bad. This is bad-"

"Naruto-sama, please," Suigetsu finally says, wanting the vampire god host to relax. "Walking around in circles isn't going to help or change anything."

At last, Naruto stops walking and he turns to face the group of people with him in one of the many rooms of the castle. "I can't help it!" he yells. "Right now, teme is inside his father's office, agreeing to-"

Quickly to stop him, Suigetsu goes up to him and covers his mouth to stop his words. "Shut it! Do you want the whole castle to hear you?"

He pulls his hand back as a precaution but Naruto just screams right in his ear, "It doesn't matter anyway! It's not going to be a secret once they held some huge, fancy dinner party and announce the big news! This is really, really bad!" Then for a moment, he starts walking around in circles again. Now this is really getting ridiculous. His panic and distress is plausible but the guy has to stop looking like he's going to have a panic attack any time soon.

Then Karin notices something.

"If you're going to act like this, then why didn't you stop him?" Suigetsu asks, trying to pull the blonde out of his anxiety. Didn't help.

"I tried!" he responds. "But the guy is a stubborn asshole who thinks he doesn't even deserve to live, let alone have some bit of happiness in his life! He kicked Itachi teme out of this castle!" Then he starts venting to himself. "Ugh! That guy! His brother was willing, wasn't he? And yet he just says 'no' and kicks him right out!"

'_From what I heard, Itachi left of his own accord,'_ Suigetsu thinks, listening to this.

Then Karin exclaims, "You two, we got company!"

* * *

Pushing the front door open, it reminds Itachi a lot of when he came home after his victory against the Kaguya clan. He was greeted by the surprised and flabbergasted soldiers outside, the same reaction they used to have when they thought of the possibility of him being dead, and when he entered his home, all he's expecting now are his parents to come running into him and suffocating him with hugs and kisses. But of course, stuff like that can't happen two times in row exactly right?

"Itachi teme!"

Maybe not exactly but close enough.

Before the older Uchiha new it as soon as the doors behind him closed, he was 'attacked' by something that was yellow and tan. By 'attacked', it means that Naruto jumped on him and knocked him to the ground with his arms circling Itachi's neck. Thanks to the impact and the sudden surprise of the jinchuriki's incredible speed, the older prince didn't notice that the object he had in his pocket came flying out. Heck, none of them even heard the thing land on the ground since they had other things going on at the same time. The prince didn't even have half a second before Naruto kissed him in greeting. Well there's the hugs and kisses part. But if Itachi had to chose, he would rather have his parents be doing this instead of this vampire god host on top of him.

Naruto breaks the kiss after a while, greatly relieved to have the long haired Uchiha back in the castle. Hallelujah, Kyuubi has the power to answer prayers! He was truly hopeful and ecstatic when Karin told him that Itachi has come back. He went running to the front door as if he were Sasuke four or three days ago, leaving the others to eat his dust before they decide rather or not to follow. Even if they did decide to run after him, by the time they'll arrive Naruto would be sending Itachi off to stop his brother before then.

Looking down at the slightly stunned Uchiha, Naruto tells him in one breathe, "Thank goodness you're here! Do you have any idea what kind of hell I've been going through since you left? Wait! This isn't the time for me to be complaining to you! You need to be somewhere!" A lot to say in one breathe.

Quickly, he gets off of Itachi and helps him up as well; by helping him up it's grabbing his arm and pulling, or yanking him off the ground to get up. "You got no time to be sitting on your ass! You need to get up and go! Run like the wind, Itachi! Hurry!" During that saying, he turned the still confused and stunned vampire around and started pushing him towards the hallway; not the one that Naruto came running through. The one that will lead the older prince to Madara's office.

This was some 'welcome home' greeting…

* * *

After closing the glass doors behind him, Sasuke just casually walks his way through the royal garden. Twenty years ago, this part of the garden was bare with green grass and in some places hard dirt. But the only other living plant in that field was that tall willow tree. The tree the younger Uchiha prince would climb and give his brother a heart attack for being so high up and the tree the two of them had their last conversation spoke to each other before they parted. A tree with many memories besides just those and the one place Sasuke would go to clear his mind and have a small sense of peace. Now besides just that tree, there are other plants that have grown healthy and strong and big over the years. Most of those plants are the dominating ones that have covered the stone walls and stone rails with its veins. This area practically looks like a fortress with enough vegetation to match a forest. As it is now, it's the perfect place to just hide away from the world. Every time Sasuke comes here, that's how he feels. He feels hidden from everyone else and sometimes sent to a different world where there are no duties that include babysitting a vampire god host, no missing brother who've you hurt beyond forgiveness, and no other pestering responsibilities. Just him, the willow tree, and the battles in his head and heart.

Sasuke didn't admire anything as he passes by. Not the flowers that have grown splendidly, the freshly cut hedges, the fast-growing dominating plants that need to be trimmed before going out of control, or the way the sun peaks through the leaves to leave sparkling diamond shadows on the ground and anything below it as it slowly begins to say its goodbyes to the world. Has that much time already passed since his meeting with his parents? When he finally stopped, he wasn't far from the tree but he wasn't near it either. No, he would rather have some stone wall near him so he could punch it with his tightly grasped fist.

"So it's over then. Damnit!" he cursed, through gritted teeth and deep, heated voice. At this point, anger and frustration were understatements to describe how he feels. His fist is shaking against the cracked wall, which he just inflicted, and his body is hunched over just a bit with his teeth clench together in a snarl. The boy just loves breaking walls.

However, in truth he has no right to be feeling like this or reacting like this. He brought this on himself. No one else.

"Sulking and hating yourself isn't going to make you feel any better, little brother."

And just like that, Sasuke's head instantly shot up in shock, his eyes wide with that same emotion, and he sharply turns around with disbelief now mixed in. Standing not too far away from him is none other than Itachi and he looks exactly how the younger prince last saw him. His face blank of any emotions and his eyes just as empty but they're different. In a way, it appears that they have _life_ in them instead of how it used to look before; dull and dead. At first, it shocked Sasuke because it couldn't…_really be him_, could it? It's too impossible for him to believe; at least so soon. Maybe it's just his mind playing tricks on him. But he wouldn't imagine his brother looking at him like that and the longer he stares at Itachi, the more impossible it is for him not to believe that he is really there, standing so close than how he would be miles and miles away. It almost left him paralyzed and speechless – if it weren't for the look in Itachi's eyes.

"Are you trying to tell me that you actually feel _guilty_ for what you've done? What you've done to me?" he asks, his voice as cold as an ice blizzard. Hearing his words and hearing him speak like that, it snapped Sasuke from his shock.

Yep, this is it then.

Thinking like that brings a half smirk to the younger Uchiha's face. "Oh it's not that," he replies. He retracts his hand from the cracked railing and turns around to face his brother and how it looks, enemy. "Naruto's just giving me stressed again. You know how easily he can get on my nerves."

"Then would you like for me to relieve you of such an annoying pest?"

And that right there causes Sasuke to lose his smirk and his guard to rise up. He already assumed that Itachi has come now to kill him but to threaten Naruto's life? It made Sasuke upset for an entirely different reason.

"Oh? Do you plan on killing him after everything he's done for you? You ungrateful whore," he insults, his words dripping with venom and his eyes, not red yet but glaring hateful daggers at his brother.

All Itachi answers with that stoic empty voice of his, "It was my original mission."

Yes, Sasuke already knows this but what he doesn't quite understand is, "Then why appear before me? He's nowhere near this area."

"Because I have my own mission. I need to repay you for what you've done. Once I'm done with you, then I'll deal with him." To prove his point, Itachi raises one of his hands up and flexes his claws, his eyes colder and deadlier than before. He's serious

Seeing those eyes, in a way it causes Sasuke to feel pain to actually see those eyes looking at him. He thought he was prepared for those eyes. He was prepared before when they had the trial but now after everything that's happened, they sting. _'And to think, I was ready to accept something like this. Not like when it's presented like this.'_ But at the moment, he has other things to worry about then accepting death. He still has his duty – the duty he was destined to do. "Unfortunately, I can't let you do that then." Grabbing the sheath of his sword, he pulls it out ready for a fight. He knows that Itachi won their last one but this time they don't have a certain blonde telling them not to kill each other. "I'm not about to let you destroy our entire race because of your selfishness."

"Whoever said it was mine?"

"You want death, don't you? Can't live with the shame of never being able to do anything for your human mate, right?" Sasuke knows exactly what that's like. He sees it every time he looks at Kakashi and right now, that's all he can see on his brother's face. "This can go either ways. I fulfill my duty as the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki's protector and kill any threat or you can complete your mission and kill us all. Either way, you'll be dead in the end. Am I wrong?"

"No, little brother." Flexing his claws once more, fire bursts on his skin and Itachi's satin eyes are already bleeding red. "You're completely right."

This is really it. The end then. Seeing him like this, Sasuke takes a moment to compose himself. He needs to push it all aside. Any useless feelings that's going to distract him in this fight. This is the fight that will determine rather he will live with his pitiful existence or die just like the sick piece of shit he is. With that in his head, all the younger Uchiha could do was let out one chuckle.

"Then why are we just standing here talking? If you want my life, come and get it!"

* * *

"Please get there. Please, please, please, please, PLEASE get there!" Naruto now pleads to himself as he's walking in circles, again. Finally catching up with him, Suigetsu, Karin, Juugo, and Kimimaro are also once again watching him, looking the exact same way he did before in the other room. They practically just switched areas with the same situation happening; only different words and a different reason for Naruto to be acting like this.

"Naruto-sama, would you just calm down already?" Suigetsu asks, really getting tired of this. He even approaches the pacing blonde to finish saying, "Itachi is here and soon he's going to whisk Sasuke right off his feet and convince him not to accept the engagement."

But Naruto quickly bursts out at him, asking, "But what if he doesn't get there in time! Once the agreement has been made, there is no backing out of it! The Uchihas are not know for going back on their word! Ugh! I should have sent Itachi after him the second I saw him! Now my friend is doomed to mate Sakura!" Great, now he's being overdramatic.

Just then, a thought crosses his mind. All too quickly, he steps right in front of the only person who can give him reassurance right now. "Karin!" he exclaims, grasping her hand in a hopeful way. The sudden action even catches the aura detector off guard, and sometimes hard to do in her case. Suigetsu right now, he can care less what the blonde vampire's going to do. He knows that he can't do or saying anything to ease the blonde's nerves anyway. However, now that he doesn't have the vampire god host in front of him anymore, the silver haired man notices something out of place on the floor.

"Karin, I need you to do something for me," Naruto starts off, as if he's about to tell her a secret that no one in the whole wide world should know about for it is top, top secret. "This is a matter of life and death for Sasuke."

She raises a brow but replies, "Okay… Do you want me to check where they are right now?"

"Yes, please!"

Like it's hard to not guess what the guy is asking her.

"Alright, alright," she sighs, pulling her hand away from his grip. She closes his eyes and tells him, "Give me a second." Then she concentrates. With her hands on her temples, she widens her senses all around the castle. She can feel the movement of every little thing in the castle; from the workers walking down and up the hallways fulfilling their duties, the tiniest animals scurrying around in the gardens, and Sasuke's aura at his thinking spot in the castle's garden. "Sasuke's…standing?" She opens her eyes after confirming that and there's a confused look on her face.

Naruto just jumped in, asking, "Standing? What do you mean 'standing'? Standing as in he's talking to his parents? He's talking with Itachi? What?"

Now Karin is starting to feel the same thing as Suigetsu. He needs to calm down. "He's just standing in the garden, doing nothing! But…" Taking another moment to concentrate, she replies later, "He doesn't seem to be talking to anyone. He's frozen."

"Not talking to anyone? Then what about Itachi teme? Where's he?"

"He's…He's at the garden with Sasuke, but it's more like he's just sitting in the willow tree, watching." After she reports, the others understood why she looked confused because now they are too.

"Hey, Naruto-sama."

Well all except Suigetsu.

Capturing everyone's attention since he spoke up, they all look at the make human worker to see him…reading a book?

"Answer me this, will ya?" He takes his attention away from the book in his hands and he asks, "Did Itachi meet a human by any chance twenty years ago?"

* * *

"You don't learn, do you?"

Sitting on top of his brother's chest, Sasuke has his sword punctured right through Itachi's shoulder to keep him down. While the younger of the two brothers appears fine compared to the older one, they're both panting and sweating from the commotion of it all. A fight is still a fight and between these two, it makes both of them exhausted in the end. As they were fighting, Itachi had a short sword on him and he used that to match with his brother's. With only using weapons, physical abilities, and no Hidden Power, anyone watching would have been greatly confused because compared to the last fight Itachi was rushed and he was making mostly reckless attacks then he was making smart ones. That didn't sound like him at all but that's what happened to have caused his short sword to be thrown over the edge of the castle and he has a sword that went right through his shoulder pinning him down to the ground. This fight was way too easy and way too quick.

But Sasuke says to his brother, "Don't you remember our last fight? I'm faster than you. You may have won but that's because you use deceit and illusions to win your battles. But I just have one question for you." Using his incredibly quick speed, Sasuke yanks his sword out of his brother's flesh and without hesitation or a second's warning, he sliced Itachi's head right off his shoulders. But all he got instead of blood spewing everywhere on him and dying the ground red with his blood before his body exploded, it only just disperses into crows and scattered everywhere their beautiful black wings could take them. Sasuke remains in the same position he was in when he cut off the fake Itachi's head off and with his crimson red eyes wide and looking really pissed off, he asks, "How foolish do you think I am?"

"Very."

When Itachi answered, his voice came from behind.

Instantly the younger vampire prince turns around to face his brother once again to continue their fight but what felt like turning his whole body and lowering his sword for any kind of attack waiting for him was only the turn of the head to look over the shoulder. That confused Sasuke greatly. In just a blink of an eye, he was no longer kneeling on the ground but standing in the same spot he was in when he first talked to Itachi and now he's looking over his shoulder to look at the giant willow tree. This whole time…he was in an illusion?

Quickly realizing this was not quick enough. By the time turned his head back to face forward, Itachi's already in front of him and he grabbed Sasuke's shoulder so he could pin him to the tree the second he got a hold of him. Since the boy is still in fight mode, he could have easily just pushed his brother off when his backed hit the bark of the willow tree but what kept him in place was the feel of Itachi's claws on his neck – the very tips lightly pointed against his skin. One wrong move and his throat will get slashed. All the Jinchuriki protector could do is look up at the face of the vampire threatening him and see wide, red, cold yet excited eyes looking down at him like a predator who caught its prey. No way is Sasuke going to cower like a prey!

"An illusion within an illusion," he's able to say, despite having to be care that his neck doesn't get cut. "That's a new trick."

"It's not," his brother tells him, his voice still smooth and calm as it always was. "You've just never seen me use it on you till now."

Brilliant, just what he needs to rub his pride in the mud. Oh well. He'll be dead soon anyway.

Right now, Sasuke is stuck. Being pinned to the tree, Itachi's grip on his arm feels really strong like he's never ever going to let go and his body is too close for the young prince to really move if he tried. He knows that such attempts will only be useless and just a waste of energy. But how the heck did he move so fast that even Sasuke was unable to react in time? He could have moved out of the way even if he was taken off guard if Itachi was using the same speed as that time in their last fight. Besides the new speed, there's also this strength…Itachi must have had blood before he came here. That's the only explanation.

"So are you going to kill me or what?" Sasuke asks. As much as it already kills him, he knows when something is over, it's over. There's nothing else he can do about it. "If I were you, I would do it fast before that dope gets worried and looks for me."

Itachi doesn't say anything immediately after that. He just stares, observing his little brother's face. He knows that he can't do anything and like a grown up, he's going to accept the consequences to not only losing but his earlier actions. He's given up and he's not going to run away from them anymore. Going to face them head on then huh? But to just stand there like that, all it means is Sasuke wants death as well.

"That would be a problem, wouldn't it?"

"Then you better hurry your fat ass up, slut."

Though when he called him that, Itachi's eyes became darker and there's radiating a hint of annoyance in them as well. "You're so impatient and I would appreciate it if you would stop calling me that."

Sasuke scoffed at that. "I just think that if you're going to kill someone, kill them. Don't stand there buying time, or you'll miss your once in a life time opportunity."

Exactly. This is Itachi's only chance. It's now or never.

"I supposed you're right then."

Moving his claws, Sasuke gave them only a moment of his attention before looking back up at Itachi's face. It really is it then. He is going to die and by the hands of his elder brother. Even though he was acting all tough and was going to take it like the vampire he is, it made him sad to see it end like this. Maybe it's too naïve to wish and hope now but the younger prince still feels that small hint of himself wishing that it didn't have to end this way. He wished things were different. Maybe never sending that vampire attack on that village and just trying to confront his brother about his feelings. He wished he was thinking when that happened instead of just acting on his emotions. He wished he never did what he did. He wished that he said sorry and got down on his hands and knees to show how sorry he was. He wished…

He wished he could said 'I love you'.

"Sasuke…"

* * *

**Dun Dun DUN!**

**So how was it? Good? Bad? Please let me know. I will reveal my winners for my game question in the next chapter. Till July 23rd!**


	28. Make Your Choice

**A/N: Hey everyone! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SASUKE! As a present for him, I have this chapter of the wonderful YOMO story. I have the winners of my game question at the bottom of the chapter but before you scroll all the way down there, please read first.**

**Important note, I do not have another game question for you. Probably next chapter two chapters I do but not this one or the one afterwards. What I do have is a very important question I must ask all of you and it will determine the fate of this story. I have an idea for the future of all of this but I want to make the readers happy so I need your advice if I want to continue on with that idea or think of something else to substitute it.**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. I am a bit satisfied with how it is going so far because I'm seeing Itachi quite often but I would like to know what happened with Sasuke and at this moment, I am on my hands and knees for Naruto! Anyway, thank you all for those who have reviewed, played my game for the next ItaSasu story, and stayed loyal to this story. This thing is about a year old and it's finally starting to get half down. I feel so ashamed…**

**Thanks and enjoy!**

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Ch. 28: Make Your Choice

_**How I wished that it hasn't come to this. This may be the last journal entry I'll ever be able to write in this book. Rather I would be far away from this place or dead the next day, who knows. Not even I can tell the future, no matter how I may wish for one outcome to prevail above all the others.**_

_**I was so careless and I believe I made Itachi just as careless. We never even notice that someone followed me and saw us together. We were just so fixated on seeing each other and being together that we forgot the rest of the world existed. From Itachi's little brother who has gone bitter because of lack of attention to Noriko who noticed that I've been acting strange. I suppose it is no surprise on her part. She is after all the sharpest eye of our village, but she's also one of the members of our society who strongly believes as our village as a whole. She, along with many others, believe that no one should have secrets and we must share everything with the village. Having seen me with Itachi, a vampire and a vampire prince don't forget, of course she would tell our leader and our leader would tell the rest of the village and thus bring me into trial.**_

_**Associating with a vampire without full intent on ending their damnable existence is the greatest act of treason any one of us could commit. Looking at all of their faces as they all accused me with their eyes, I could tell that they all saw this coming. We're a village of vampire hunters that pretend to look like a normal peaceful, happy village when right underneath our smiles are the skills to killing a vampire when they least expect it. Our leader always told us that our village is only an example of what a world would be like without vampires haunting our thoughts with nightmares and fears of the night. But I was always curious about them, which was why I tried to understand their body structures and what makes vampires a vampire instead of learning how to kill them. I didn't have the desire to rid them of the world. If we wanted peace, than why not just live in peace with them? Besides all of the scary stories on how they're blood-thirsty monsters and their other 'special needs', how can they be so different from us? If anything, we seem to be superior to them because a vampire can never learn what it's like to be out in the sun, never understand what it's like to feel the warmth of the world, eat the food people have put their heart and very soul into making sure it's on the table hot and delicious, or even appreciate the very meaning of death. To watch everything die all around you while you remain exactly the same, vampires are pitiful creatures and they don't even know it.**_

_**Itachi, he understands death. If anything, he sounds like one of villagers. He despises how vampires have no appreciation for death and what he hates more than that is that he is a one of them. I can see it in his eyes. He wishes for so much more. He wishes to be human, and I have never met a vampire like that before. That's why I love him. Not that he wishes that he doesn't want to be a vampire. It's that he knows what he's missing and like a fool, he thinks that if he can achieve those things then he could be a better person than he already is. How can he? To me, he is perfect. I don't wish for a thing to change about him; not his personality, his mortality, or his gender.**_

_**Which is why the next time I see him, I will protect him with my life and run away from my home.**_

_**During my trial, there were many people who believed that because of my compassion for such vile creatures that I was bewitched by the first one who noticed my weakness. So they decided not to kill me, like how the usual punishment is for these sort of things, and they will allow me to meet with Itachi again, so long as I will be there to help them exterminate him. There is no way I would let them lay a hand on Itachi! I only agreed to their plan so I could at least see him one more time before I turn against my village and protect him from them. If I should fail, then I will not regret my death for I have no family but Itachi does. I would regret for not being able to protect him but for allowing him to die when he has a family who loves him. Especially his little brother.**_

_**It has been days since that plan has been made and despite my longing to see my love again, I'm grateful that he has yet to solve the issue between him and his brother. The longer it takes for Itachi to return to me, the more flawless my plan could be for when we high-tail it out of here and the more time he'll be able to spend with his family should it be the last time if I fail. But every day that goes by, I become filled with anxiety and I pray that in the end, Itachi lives and return to those who love him.**_

_**I suppose as I'm thinking about this, I have a thought. Funny how I've gone used to writing things down when I have a thought or finding some way to expressing them. The relationship between Itachi and his little brother truly is different. I have never met two siblings who are as close as they are. The only relationship I see in my village is the kind which they challenge each other constantly to prove who the better one is. Even the ones who get along fairly well are nothing like the bond between the two vampire princes. I bet my money Itachi doesn't even realize it himself but when he spoke of his brother when he told me he had to leave early that night, there was a certain glint in his eyes that gave his face more life and sparkled brighter than any star that night. It was small but it was there.**_

_**I believe he thinks of the world of his little brother. I think his brother might mean more to him than me.**_

_**Now I'm not pitying myself. If I'm second in his mind, that does make me a bit sad but if being with his brother makes Itachi happy than who am I to sulk and detest that which makes him happy. I'm not exactly the possessive or the jealous type, but that's only because I put into consideration of other people's feelings. If I should do something unforgivable because of my own selfish desires, I suppose it's because I don't want to lose the most important thing to me. I know what I just said about not being the possessive type but if I have something I want to hold dear to my heart then I should fight for it, right? What's the use of having something like that if you're just going to toss it aside and leave it behind?**_

_**Maybe we all think like that. My village is fighting the vampires of the world to protect the peace they've finally achieved after so much lost and bloodshed, and I'm about to fight them so I could protect Itachi. Maybe in a way, his little brother is fighting to remain the only thing important in Itachi's life. Even though his action might be considered as only an act of bratty selfishness, he's trying to fight a good fight. Funny how the prize just so happens to be Itachi himself.**_

_**Look at me, I'm writing a lot for this one entry. I guess if this is going to be the last entry I'll ever put in this book, I should leave something behind – and use up all these extra pages. But I've reach the end and I might be reaching the end of my own life. My human life that is. Rather I escape with my life and Itachi's and I become a vampire so we could be happily mated, or I die trying; all of that will be determined the next time I see him. I do have two wishes though if I die.**_

_**My first wish, I want to leave this world with Itachi's beautiful face being the last thing I see.**_

_**My second and final wish, I want Itachi and his little brother to patch whatever problem they have and to never end that inseparable bond they share.**_

_**Lives are short; human or vampire. They must be spent with happy moments, smiles, laughs, and no regrets. I'm young, I know but I feel as though I have already lived a life of contentment and I have no regrets. For I have met the most wonderful, kind-hearted person I could ever meet in this life and I'm so grateful for that.**_

_**-Shisui**_

* * *

With eyes wider than the size of entrée plates, Sasuke couldn't believe what he was feeling right now. A few moments ago, he was prepared to feel Itachi's razor sharp claws rip at his neck and in his one moment of weakness would rip off the entire head and thus kill him. But instead he's feeling something entirely different. Upon his lips, he feels the warmth and the chaste touch of his brother's. There he is pressed against a tree by the man he loves with their bodies so close to each other and he's staring wide eyed at Itachi's eye lids – looking completely relaxed and at ease unlike how he was before! That hand that once had its claws threatening his life have only moved so the fingers could smooth their way up his skin to his hair and get lost in his raven locks with the thumb against his cheek with the gentlest touch that made Sasuke's skin light themselves on fire.

Itachi is kissing him!

He's actually kissing him!

No illusions. No tricks. No mind clouded up with bloodlust and hunger. No lies.

This is really happening. Sasuke's sober and the Itachi before him is real and he knows what he did.

But it can't…It just can't!

With extreme difficulty but allowing his denial take complete control of his body, Sasuke's hand, the one not connected to the arm Itachi already has a grasp on, made its way to his brother's shoulder and in one moment act of courage, pushes the guy away. "Get OFF!" he yells, pushing the older vampire hard enough to make him fall to the floor. He wasn't too far off. In fact, he made the earlier illusion a reality without the sword puncturing through Itachi's sword. Sasuke took out a hidden knife instead and pressed it against Itachi's neck as they look at each other, eye to eye – Itachi's satin black eyes locking with Sasuke's angry red ones. Now who's threatening who with a throat slash – only Itachi's expression looking unsurprised and expecting this while Sasuke is not only angry but he's completely embarrassed.

Actually, he feels completely humiliated.

"What the _fuck_ were you doing? How dare you try to pull your prostitute acts on me!" he yells. Itachi didn't take that to heart. He was expecting all of this when he decided to do this.

"It wasn't an act," he says simply.

"Shut up!" But Sasuke didn't accept that. Pushing the knife blade harder proved that if not for the screaming.

Maybe this wasn't the best approach after all.

Not only does Sasuke feel utterly humiliated, he's pissed off as all hell. Those emotions he's feeling right now not only distract him from how nice that kiss actually felt for the first _real_ time, he's not going to accept the one Itachi remembers as the first because he doesn't remember it, but it made him blurt out things he really didn't want to say to him yet it's the only things he can think of at the moment. "You're such a fuckin whore! You don't care about a single thing, do you? You just take advantage of people for some shitty mission or your own personal gain! You pretend that it all means something and every emotion you show are nothing but frauds! You don't feel anything and you don't give a shit about anything! I…I hate you, Itachi! I fuckin hate you!"

Those words would have killed anyone if they weren't already prepared to hear it. Yes, this may have been not the best of choices to approach the younger Uchiha prince but to Itachi's mind, his little brother brought it upon himself. Sasuke's the one who was expecting him to end his life and he was willing to accept it. But instead of ending his life, Itachi gives him a kiss. That's a major turn of events and the older vampire expected a reaction like that, as well as those three little words.

Still appearing that those words didn't harm him at all, Itachi speaks calmly and coolly by asking, "Did you still want me to kill you, little brother?"

To Sasuke, he just said that he hated his brother and yet Itachi doesn't reveal anything but that annoying attitude of his; plus those questions that really drive him up the fricken wall. He's not a mind-reader. He didn't know that his brother was expecting him to say words of hatred and anger. For him, everything he didn't mean to say appears to be reality facts.

Still, that question caught him off guard. "Wha- Stop speaking in riddles!"

"It was just a question, Sasuke. No need to get upset."

To him right now, it's official. He's seriously going to kill this f-ing whore.

"If you don't shut the hell up right now, I am going to send your sorry ass straight back to your organization in pieces," he threatens. But then, he feels something that nearly paralyzes him in place.

Ignoring the danger of not only the knife but his little brother's anger, Itachi's hand rises up to Sasuke's arm, the one not holding the knife, and unlike his previous grasp on it, its grip is still strong but also gentle. All he feels is the sleeve but what he really wants to feel is the soft smooth touch of Sasuke's skin. It smoothes its way up to the shoulder, the neck, and then the cheek. The feel of his baby brother's skin is like a piece of heaven. A slice of heaven cake that tasted sweet and pure and it make him moan softly when he has that taste rolling on his tongue. But the touch is only the slice of that cake. Actually tasting that skin is when the real heaven starts and when their lips meet, Itachi gets the whole cake. No sharing; all his.

Sasuke knew how to respond to when the enemy touches him but the problem is him acting upon it. He didn't move away from the touch but he didn't lean into it either. He only stays there, motionless and speechless. But no matter what his mind or morals tell him to do, none of them can tell him differently that Itachi's touch leave trails of fire across his skin when he moves and when he stays in one place, every cell in his body would start building their own electricity of pleasure to later shock him with a full wave of pure bliss. At the moment, all he can feel is the wonderful heat on his cheek building up to later spread all over his body. Then he will move but not in a way that he should.

After several silent minutes, the older Uchiha finally speaks. "You make it sound like I went back to the Akatsuki." He caught the boy off again when he said that. As Sasuke now reveals his confusion adding with his already stunned surprised expression, Itachi adds, "I didn't go back to them. I just needed to think for a while and they're not exactly the type of crowd I want to be with to think. Truthfully, I didn't come here to kill you." The last part, his voice held a sense of gentleness in his cool voice and pure honest sincerity appears in his eyes. It only deepened the boy's surprise and his confusion. "I only did what I did because that was what you were expecting from me, correct? My true purpose was to determine something. Now I have my answer. I can't kill you. You mean too much for me to lose when I've already lost so much."

Did he…really just say that? For a moment, Sasuke thought this is all just a dream his messed up mind created from the stress and when he wakes up, he's going to meet his brother again but in a fight to the death situation. There is absolutely no way this could be happening! These words that Sasuke's hearing, they're not real. They're a trick!

"S..stop fucking around with me!" he yells, pushing the knife closer and causing Itachi's hand to back away from his face. Now that the hand is gone, the Jinchuriki protector can speak properly and freely. "What the hell are you talking about 'you mean too much for me to lose' crap? That's nothing but a bunch of bullshit. You should have gone back to your little vampire hunting gang, turn back into a human, and then come here to kill me! But instead you come here wanting to determine some kind of messed up shit and you're acting like everything is all peachy. Everything is not all peachy, Itachi! Everything is all fucked up." Especially his mind right now. Nothing makes sense anymore. Not his brother's return or the words he spoke. Or even him being in such close reach that the boy is secretly starting to miss that gentle touch on his face.

"Sasuke, do you honestly believe that I would ever lie to you again?" Itachi asks, looking at his little brother in the eye. He is not backing down from this. Not with the knife against his throat or the anger he can obviously tell that his little brother is forcing out. "Everything I'm saying to you right now is the truth. I'm here right now and I'm willing to offer anything to you, so long as it means keeping you with me. I didn't come here so I can end your life because I love you." And just like that, Sasuke couldn't control his body's shock any more. Did he…really just say that? Those three little words that mean so much if they were true? The anger and irritation left Sasuke's face instantly and all there's left is his dumbstruck shock. It was his 'fake' anger that fueled his threatening hand but now that it's gone, his pressure on the blade disintegrated and unconsciously pulled away from his brother's neck. It was still close but it wasn't as intimidating as it was before. Seeing this, Itachi continues, "I went to visit Shisui's grave. I needed a place to think and at the same time, I wanted to be near him again. Believe me, Sasuke when I say that I miss Shisui. I miss him terribly and always will but being away from you, I realized how much I ache for you. I wasn't good with this sort of thing when I was younger, you know that. I kept ignoring your feelings as I was having my first experience with a human who was unlike any human I've ever met. The pain you've went through is something I can't begin to comprehend but I am willing to heal those old wounds of yours, if you'll let me." His hand returns to Sasuke's cheek and now the boy is really starting to feel the effects of that touch. He wants to lean into it. He wants to remove the knife completely and allow his brother to indulge him in the love he claims to have. Even if it's all just an act, just once. Just once he wants the love and attention he's always craved from him.

But it's because it all must be an act that prevents Sasuke from doing all of that.

"You can't," he pushed to say. But now, he can't even look down at the guy in the eye. "Even if everything you just said to me was true, it's too late."

"Nothing is ever too late. We can still be together, if you'll have me."

'_Damnit! Stop saying that!'_ "W-Well I won't! I've already agreed to my engagement with Sakura. Once the agreement's been made, there is no turning back. I am to mate with her. That is something you can't change."

It would have been a lie if Itachi ever claimed that he wasn't surprise when he heard that, or that he didn't feel a sudden urge to just find that pink head and chop her down to size. Only one word came into mind when he thought of her and Sasuke mating and that was 'mine'. He knows that she had done nothing wrong besides flirting with his little brother in public when he just met her but it was bad timing because it was after the closet, kissing incident and really, he just couldn't see her as someone Sasuke would ever be interested in – let alone mate with and be perfectly happy with. His new possessive nature just took over slightly when he saw her with Sasuke and now after realizing his own feelings and by just hearing her name, he wanted to find her and tell her right there and then that Sasuke belongs to him so back off. However at the moment, that's not the problem and he can do that later. What's the problem is Sasuke is going to willingly mate with that pink hair masculine vampire.

It's now or never. Just relax the nerves and ignore these new murderous desires.

Calming down since the older prince stiffened when he heard the younger one's words, Itachi lets out a sigh as if he's left with no other choice. "Then I guess you're left with two options, otouto," he says, surprising the younger brother when he heard a bit of venom and annoyance in his voice. It actually almost sounded like he was trying to hide away his emotions again but the boy heard them. He dared to look at his brother in the face just in time for Itachi to offer, "Option one, I can kill you but with that same sword, I'll take my own life." If he wasn't already confusing enough, this just took on a whole other level when Sasuke heard that his brother was not only going to kill him but kill himself as well. Killing him, he understood. Killing himself, he didn't understand that. "Don't look so surprised. You think after I just confessed, I'm going to kill you and live with myself? That's another thing I most certainly cannot do, not again. Option two, mate with me and we'll both live."

Forget the whole other level of confusion Sasuke achieved when he heard option one. Option two made his mind a complete blank. He didn't know what to think and he didn't know what to feel either. Could he be anymore shock and confused than he already is? Should he feel joy and let his whole face burst into flames? Should he pale and call Itachi disgusting and a pervert for even thinking of such a thing in this kind of situation? He didn't know what to do about it, because he wasn't even sure he heard him correctly!

"Mate?"

Seeing that face Sasuke is making right at this moment made him look completely adorable. It made Itachi smile at him, something that Sasuke also did not expect ever to see. The older vampire prince explains, "The engagement can easily be broken. It's just a temporary contract while mating is forever. Be mine, Sasuke."

Slowly but surely, some bit of thought came back to the younger prince's mind and with those thoughts, he shock his head. "Now I know you're messed up in the head!" he yells out again, and replacing that knife pressing against Itachi's neck. Didn't expect that really and Itachi lost his smile when his brother did that. "Why would anyone in their right minds want to mate with me after they found out what I've done?"

"Oh I can think of a few things." Using that hand that was on the boy's cheek a little while ago, he moves it a little lower so he could grab the back of the jinchuriki's protector's neck and pull him down. Being caught off guard, Sasuke is now staring wide eye with his older brother's face only inches from his. In fact, their noses are pretty close to touching. "You're beautiful, very talented with your powers, intelligent beyond anyone's imagination, strong willed, courageous, stubborn, emotional, you can be pretty honest at times, and you are a little selfish; but isn't everyone selfish?"

As he spoke, Sasuke could taste his breathe in his mouth. It nearly made him drool and want to taste that mouth he is so close to. Every moment that he's laying there is pushing closer and closer to the edge. He can hardly take it anymore. He wants to kiss this man and be completely devoured by him. From the depths of his heart, his sexual desires for the man under him are beginning to surface. He wants to be kissed and touched like how he always dreamed. He wants to forget the kisses he always received from Naruto and replace it with Itachi's. He wants his older brother's love to make him forget the past and just indulge him in pure ecstasy.

But he knows that he has to resist. Not just for the sake that this whole thing could be bogus, but because of a different reason. However, his mind is beginning to run out ideas on how to resist. All he can pretty much do is try his absolute hardest to tear his eyes away from the gentle, loving eyes staring up at him and keep them away.

"That doesn't answer my freakin question, Itachi! And don't give me any of this 'I love you' crap because I know it's not real!"

"Why can't it be real? Is it because you still think you don't deserve it?" Sasuke stiffened when he heard that but Itachi didn't judge him. He moved his hand back to the boy's cheek so he could force him to look at him again but like he said, Sasuke is stubborn. His face is facing him but the eyes look away with frustrated guilt glowing inside of them. With a voice as tender as his eyes, Itachi tries to explain to him again, "You've already suffered for twenty years. I think that's enough. A human can go to jail for the same crime just as long. No matter what you do or how you feel, you can't change the past, ever. All you can do is move on and continue living. That's what I'm doing and my first step is forgiving you. My second, spending forever with you; rather it's dead or alive I don't care. But I do like you better when you're breathing. Though, the choice is completely up to you. Chose death and we both will die. Mate with me and we'll both live." Lifting himself up, as much as he can, Itachi also uses the help of his hand to press his lips against his little brother's forehead. Feeling that kiss, sending warmth and comfort through his stressed body, Sasuke's resistance finally begins to melt away. He truly can't take it anymore. He's at the end of his wits. The hand that's not grasping the knife is now grasping a small handful of Itachi's shirt. When the older prince moves back to lie on the ground, Sasuke looks up at him; his eyes no longer holding any shock, surprise, or confusion – only the small pleading that everything that was said to him was all true and not lies. Seeing that look, Itachi smiles again – a smile more tender and move loving than the one given in the closet and full absolute sincerity and honesty. Lying completely on the ground, even his hand has removed itself from Sasuke's head, he tells him, "Take your time with your decision. I've waited twenty years for you. I believe I can wait a little while longer."

At this very moment, Sasuke's hands are shaking. Even the one still holding the knife to Itachi's neck is quivering. But despite that, Itachi's eyes do not revert themselves away from Sasuke's face. Which didn't help the younger prince much at all because now he can't keep his eyes away from his brother. It's like they're glued to that gorgeous face of his. But what should he do now? He can't just give in, can he? He wants to but could he? Lifting himself up, Sasuke's back to where he was before and maybe being father apart will help him think more clearly on what to do. Being that close and tasting that mouthwatering breathe, it would have made him chose to give into his desires. Some distance might help, but that idea is a failure because the boy still feels like he wants to let himself give in so long as they remain in eye contact.

"I…I…"

Just like he said, Itachi lies there waiting patiently but now he looks just a little eager as he can hear that his little brother is about to say something – something good, hopefully. But empathy and compassion appear on his features when he sees that Sasuke is having a really hard time. He can clearly see that the boy is fighting between his morals and his own feelings on what to do. It gets to the point that his whole body is beginning to shake in his distress. Still, he doesn't make a move or say a thing.

"I don't want you to die!"

And there it is. He said it.

Realizing that, Sasuke instantly covers his mouth in shock that those words come out. Then he begins to lift the knife off of Itachi's neck. The older prince still continues to watch only him as he can see that Sasuke's red vampire eyes have regressed back to his onyx ones. His shaking hand drops the knife to the floor and then leaking out his eyes became his tears again. He truly could not take it anymore. He had enough. He wants this whole thing to be over. As if his tears gave him the will power he needed, Sasuke lowers his eyes from his brother's gaze and he touches his face to be absolutely sure that he's crying. Seeing the tears, it just made him want to cry some more. All he wants is for this whole thing to be over. He's tired and he wants to stop. So he just lets his words come flooding out. "I like it better when you're alive. When you're moving, when you're talking, when you smile, and when you laugh. I love you so much like that." And there he goes. He said it, and he accepts it fully. Slowly but surely and soon, those words are all he can think of saying right now. "I love you, nii-san. I love you…" But despite all of this, he still curses himself for his weakness.

Now that the knife is removed and Sasuke doesn't look like he's going to threaten his life again anytime soon, Itachi sits up. His brother didn't seem bothered by it since he has his own emotions he's trying to gain control over again but now he's sitting on Itachi's lap with his legs on both sides of him and his face looking down at the lap instead of his older brother's face with tears dripping down like rain. Too bad. He would have seen the pure and sincere love being the only thing appearing in Itachi's eyes. His hand rises up to Sasuke's and again he strokes that cheek with gentle care and reassuring, wiping away those tears. He can tell surely by now that his little brother is probably in a very fragile emotional state right now. One wrong move from here on out and the boy will crack down into nothing. From here on out, everything must be gentle and true.

"Be mine, Sasuke," he repeats. This time, the younger Uchiha looks at him and with his face up, both of them are so close. Itachi's gentle eyes look directly into his little brother's dark, glossy ones that look like dark pools of endless emotions. All of them swimming around inside and representing everything that he feels right now. Sorrow, guilt, joy, and relief. He's still so sorry but at the same time, he's happy. With their mouths so close, Sasuke can taste his brother's breathe again and the very words he speaks as he says, "From this moment on, I will love you and you alone, my foolish little brother."

With those final words, he closes the gap between them. Upon their lips, Itachi plants a tender and loving kiss. With his hand, he holds his little brother close and he waits for his response. Within moments, Sasuke finally gives into the kiss. No more resistance. No more denial. He closes his eyes in pure bliss and returns the affection as the warmth that came from Itachi's lips spread throughout his entire body. Soon his own hands reach for his brother's shoulders and then they moved to have his arms circle around his neck and deepen the kiss. At the same time, Itachi's hand moves from Sasuke's cheek to the back of his head. Itachi's other arm moved to wrap around Sasuke's waist and holds him close. Soon, they were in the same position as they were in inside the closet when they shared their kiss, but there is a difference. Not the clear head or lack of blood intoxicating them both. It's the kiss itself. Back then, it was the taste of the fruit of what is offered if they loved each other but now, it's the fruit itself.

Yes, this is it. This is the end of their aching separation and the start of their together.

* * *

Having read the last pages of the journal, the group was almost speechless. Many just didn't know what to say and some didn't want to say anything in spite of what they just read. However, Kimimaro was able to say, "This guy…He truly loved Itachi-sama, didn't he?"

Seeing the sadness his lover has for this human they have never met and would never be able to, Juugo places a comforting hand on Kimimaro's shoulder and agrees, "Yes. Willing to sacrifice it all to protect Itachi-sama's life and to ensure that he continues to live on past his demise with those who care about him. He even noticed things about Itachi-sama that he himself has yet to discover until now. Shisui is someone worth respecting."

And he was the person Sasuke was so jealous about that he sent a vampire-for-hire group after his village. That's something only Naruto knows and as much as it kills him, he's keeping that knowledge to himself until the younger vampire prince is ready to tell them himself. Though after reading the worn-out, burnt journal, maybe it was a good thing Sasuke did what he did. Itachi wouldn't have to deal with the shock of finding out that his childhood sweetheart was a vampire hunter along with his entire 'normal, peaceful' village. Who knows how he would have acted back then.

Closing the book in his hand, Suigetsu then says, "But what I don't understand is if this Shisui guy was telling Itachi-sama all about how people should independently live their lives but still hold that strong belief of true love, why didn't Itachi-sama himself understand it. He's supposed to be a genius right?"

"Even geniuses can't understand everything." Karin said that. The attention is turned to her and Suigetsu is a bit surprised to have heard her say that, and how she's looking down at the ground with sympathy and sorrow on her face with clenched fists. "Just because you're brilliant about one thing, it doesn't mean you're brilliant about everything. I may not know what Itachi-sama was like all those years ago but how I know him now, he doesn't know how emotions work and can lose control over them easily if he's not too careful. He can hide them, I'll give him credit for that but his container is not invincible. And sometimes…" At that moment, she looks up at only one person in this room as if what she is about to say next is meant directly for him. That person being Suigetsu. "Things just need to be explained to you no matter how simple they could be. Simpletons only understand simple things as geniuses only get the complex stuff."

Now Suigetsu is look at her with a bewildered. This time, he really didn't know what to that. After Karin stares at him for a moment, she looks away. Everyone, except Suigetsu, understood what she meant by that. Even her hidden meaning behind it all.

"Karin, where is Itachi and Sasuke now?" Naruto asks, gaining her attention. Unlike how he was before, he's calmed down. Especially after reading all of that. "I'm not worried about anything bad happening between them anymore. I just wanna know if they're together or not."

Understanding what he's saying, she nods. Then like before, she closes her eyes and concentrates. "They're together, in that same spot as they were before and…" Then her eyes shot open and her cheeks instantly bloom red. Well that's sudden change.

Being only a bit concerned, Kimimaro asks, "Karin-san, what is it?"

Looking at everyone as if she just noticed that they all circled her and watched her, waiting for her report, she suddenly looks really nervous and almost embarrassed. What does she have to be embarrassed about?

"We should leave them alone I believe!" she exclaims. Okay, that's weird. With a fake smile on her face, her cheeks still red, and some sweat beginning to appear on her temples, she tells everyone, mostly Naruto, "They don't need to be bothered and they don't need supervising. They'll be just fine. We'll watch you for the night, Naruto-sama. No problem. You're hungry right?"

Yeah, really weird. But Suigetsu got it instantly and a wide toothy grin appears on his face.

"Don't tell me. Those two are mating, aren't they?" Instantly as soon as she heard that, Karin drops the smile and her face shoots up red as blood also begins to ooze out of her nose.

No way!

* * *

**I swear to you all! The next chapter will have lemon in it. It was supposed to be in this one but the chapter got too long and I ran out of time. Oh well…**

**My winners are: Saber Amane, Leilsel97, and Obsession No Es Amor.**

**All I was looking for was Itachi makes it in time before Sasuke mates with Sakura and he comes in peace. Thank you my three winners! You may now vote for your favorite future ItaSasu story idea and hope that your vote is the winner!**

**My VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION THAT I MUST ASK ALL OF YOU: How would you all feel if I make Sasuke pregnant?**

**Just wondering. But how was the chapter? Bad? Good? Let me know and tell me your answer on my question. Till next time! Happy Birthday, Sasuke!**


	29. Together Forever With You

**A/N: Hello guys! Here it is, the moment you have all been waiting for and I pray to whoever is up there that you all enjoy it! I am very inexperience in smex scenes so I really hope that this is good and you all love it. Now for those smex scene specialists out there, if there is any kind of advice you have for me, it is welcomed! Rather it's good or bad, I will take it all because I want to get better in my writing and I want to continue ItaSasu, even though it looks like that at the moment I'm a little behind in…everything!**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. Please see What Would You Do Now, Sasuke to see how I would write the story if I did own it. Unfortunately it belongs to Kishimoto and he's killing me with not having any Sasuke or Itachi moments right now. I love Naruto and I love Gaara more, but I need my Uchihas. Come on. I thank you all for waiting so patiently for this chapter and I will take any kind of criticism you might have for me. Now please enjoy!**

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Ch. 29: Together Forever With You

Sasuke's panting.

"Ahh…nnhm….Ah..Ani..ki…ha…!"

This…this feeling…it's so erotic! To feel that hot canvas surrounding his heated flesh, the young prince was gasping in the deep pleasure his older brother is giving him. Here he is, lying and squirming on the ground with his hands gripping onto the dirt, his shirt open to exposed his slender, well-toned chest but still clinging onto his shoulders, his belt rope undone, and his pants opened just enough to have his erection being licked and sucked on by Itachi. The older vampire prince still has his clothes on, not loosed or anything, as his little brother's legs are on his shoulders and he holds one up to keep it in place. His other hand strokes Sasuke's balls as his mouth licks and sucks on the tip of the boy's cock like it's his favorite candy.

Itachi has done blow jobs before. He just never finished them. That's why most of the time, or rather all of the time, the Akatsuki get sexually frustrated with him and complain on how he never finishes the job. Though he never lets them do it to him because he knew, from observation, that the pleasure would be too great on him to think straight, especially if he had let his mind travel to imaging Shisui doing it to him instead, and the possibility of beating them off without causing any damage to his penis wouldn't have been likely. Anyway the point is he knows how to do a blow job and he knows when to stop before his partner unleashes his load. This is their first time and it has to be done properly for it all to work.

Looking at his younger brother, Itachi can see the pleasure building on his face. His face is flushed and he looks almost unsure of this new feeling but he's sure enjoying it. By how he looks, the older prince just couldn't deny that his little brother looks so adorable and so delectable like that. He wanted to see more so he stopped the licking and started to suck on the head like a lollipop. He moves up and down that cock, bobbing his head up and down at a slow rate for starters. Sasuke's breathe hitches before his pants became deeper and louder as the pace began to pick up and he starts to moan as he's feeling a heat growing in his groin. His body was beginning to feel really hot and a bit damp from the sweat starting to leak out of his pores. Then pre-cum begins to leak out from the slit.

Usually when the pre-cum makes its appearance, that is when Itachi would stop after having a small taste but when he decides to let his curiosity take over, he couldn't resist this taste. He took in a small bit of Sasuke's pre-cum and he found himself wanting more of it. He widens his mouth a little more and started to take in more of the boy's length, causing Sasuke to arch his back when his older brother began to deep throat him and create vibrations from groaning at this delicious taste. Sasuke's pre-cum is by far the sweetest thing he has ever tasted; just like everything else about him – his skin, his lips, and his blood. To Itachi, pre-cum always had a weird taste depending on the person. Like with Sasori, it reminded him of those tasteless fiber bars; Kakazu tasted like money, which was another weird one; Hidan tasted like iron, like his pre-cum was trying to taste like blood and was not desirable in anyway; and Kisame tasted like sushi, which wasn't a surprise. But Sasuke is a whole different story all together for Itachi loves it at first taste and all he wants now is nothing but to just drink it like man dying of thirst in the desert finally discovering an oasis. He hums in approval and delight of the sweet taste of his brother and all that action does is greaten the heated pressure within the boy. The sweat becomes visible on Sasuke's brow and now he's having a hard time keeping everything in control. Just because his mind is starting to become hazy with lust and pleasure doesn't mean that he doesn't know what's going on and the limitations of how far they can go.

"Ah…Aniki! Enough…I'm…_ahh_," he gasps out, unable to finish his sentence. As strongly as his body is telling him not to do it, Sasuke ignores his desires for just a moment to grab his brother's hair and pull him off. A string of saliva still connected Itachi's mouth to Sasuke's spit covered cock but when he saw his little brother's needy, lustful face, Itachi didn't complain. "Enough…" Sasuke repeats, panting.

"Right." Itachi leans towards Sasuke's face and he whispers, "Sorry," before kissing the boy's luscious mouth.

Sasuke moans into the kiss as his hand that was gripping his brother's hair loosens and undoes the tie so he can stroke his fingers through those silky locks. Oh god, how that feels so good. Not just the lips but also how silky smooth that hair runs through his fingers. From the night air, they feel so pleasantly cool to the touch. His legs had already slid off of Itachi's shoulders when the older prince moved and his feet now prompt themselves on the ground with Itachi laying between them. When the older Uchiha starts to rub his own erection against Sasuke's, the younger gasps and moans at the friction and Itachi takes that chance to sneak his tongue into that luscious mouth. Pleasure shoots through Sasuke's spin as his brother's talented and professional tongue plays around in his mouth and makes contact with his own. Every lick against his tongue becomes a shock of pleasure that pulses through his body and forces him further into ecstasy. From the feeling of the friction between their cocks and their tongues, it's beyond anything either of them ever felt before. However to Sasuke, it feels like Itachi is doing all the work; not to forget that the older vampire is winning in their battle of dominance and that just makes him so incredibly hard. No way is he going to just lie there and do nothing.

Sliding his hands from Itachi's hair to his shoulders and then down his chest, Sasuke undoes the tie around his brother's waist and then sneaks his hands under the shirt to personally feel that tone, hard chest and the skin that gains goosebumps when he does that. Itachi growls when he feels his little brother's dirty hands tickle around a nipple. So the boy wants to have some fun, does he? Parting away for just a moment, the younger Uchiha takes that chance to remove Itachi's shirt. The second he gets the chance, he lifts himself up and with his fangs extended and baring, he aims for the neck and bites. Itachi gasps when he feels that bite and his muscles tense automatically but the familiar penetrating pleasure relaxes his nerves instantly and he lets out a soft, moaning sigh before supporting Sasuke's head as he drinks a small bit of his blood.

Itachi understands what his little brother is doing. Sasuke, whose only experience with this kind of thing would be the kisses he shared with Naruto, has no idea exactly how to pleasure someone like how Itachi just did. The older Uchiha had practice and he saw a lot of his Akatsuki members do it in their free time. Rather it's Sasori and Deidara going at it in the social room or Sasori going at it with somebody else in secret. Of course, there was Hidan as well but that was where Itachi got most of his practice from. Sasuke, who had no practice or any kind of knowledge on what to do, can only go by instinct and his instincts obviously tell him to bite. After all, his bites always make Itachi feel so hot and so addicting to the younger vampire. He wanted the feeling to last forever – to never let his little brother's fangs leave him and to continue giving him pleasure only he can create within the older prince.

Itachi could just bite him right now. Let his own inner animal take over and bite his little brother's neck while the boy's fangs are still inside of him. But then they would have to hurry things along for the mating to be complete. He doesn't want that. It's their first time for both of them and he wants to take this slow and as pleasurable as he possibly can. Sasuke is the one who is going to suffer the most and in order to not make the pain anymore unbearable than it should be, he needs to remain focus. But damn it's hard when this feels so good!

With his extraordinary control, Sasuke apparently didn't let Itachi have to worry about losing focus for too terribly long. He releases his brother's neck and uses his tongue to lick the extra blood away as the wound heals. Then he sucks on that delectable skin before kissing his way up and letting his fangs stand out just a little longer to lightly scratch that skin. That certainly made Itachi's cock twitch with need when he did that. Then that boy's needy lips softly start nibbling and licking Itachi's ear, his fangs already reduced to harmless size. Now the older Uchiha has to try his absolute hardest to suppress a shiver that was almost too strong to restrain. He succeeds but his cock paid the price again by becoming harder and extremely uncomfortable in the tight clutches of his pants.

"Preparing yourself for later?" Itachi asks, his voice almost sounding horsed with lust.

"Well…" Pulling back just a bit, the younger prince gives his older brother a full view of his flushed, pouty face as he looks to the side almost embarrassed about this whole thing. "…I don't know what else to do." His voice is small and his now swollen lips have created that adorable pout Itachi used to love so much when they were younger. Seeing it again, he still loves that look and he gains a warm smile from Sasuke's words as well as the sight of his red-stained lips.

"For now, you don't have to do anything." Pushing Sasuke back to the ground, the younger Uchiha sure didn't expect that to happen. He lets out a yelp and he's looking up at his brother in surprise as Itachi's hair flows down from the man's slender, beautiful shoulders and shields Sasuke's face from the rest of the world in its shadowy curtains. That smile is still there but if possible, it looks tender and more loving than it did before, making the blood in his veins pump even harder in excitement. "Just leave everything to me. I know what I'm doing."

As reassuring as that probably should be, Sasuke takes that in a different way. "I thought you're a virgin."

Itachi eyebrow twitched when he heard his brother say that and he almost lost his smile as well. Almost. "I am but not the Akatsuki."

Before Sasuke could let that bit of information sink in, let alone agree in understanding and then quiver a bit in disgust on how Itachi actually saw the deed being done – that was probably worst than gaining the guts to actually read Kakashi's books; Itachi distract his little brother with an attack on the boy's neck. He didn't bite with his fangs but he did find Sasuke's sweet spot and starts kissing, licking, breathing, and nibbling on that spot. It becomes a good distraction and Sasuke arches his back at the tingling pleasure of his brother's talented mouth, making him more turned on than he already is. It almost makes him ashamed that he can't do the same things his brother could but who says that this going to be the only time they can make-out or have sex like this? For now, patience and take as much as you can from experience.

Itachi moves his mouth a little downward so he could start giving Sasuke's collarbone the same treatment he did to the skin that now has a bright red hickey glowing in all its glory. He is going to decorate his baby brother's skin with hickeys, claiming the boy as his own. But those marks will disappear in due time. At least for them, they can leave a more permanent mark later. Thanks to the distraction on the collarbone, Itachi takes that time to lightly smooth a hand over Sasuke's chest, tickling the boy and then presenting three fingers in front of his mouth.

"Suck." The boy was confused for a second but if Itachi says to do something, especially since he knows so much, why should he argue? He took the digits in his mouth and laps his tongue over each one, coating them with his saliva. The pace he was going and how his tongue move against the skin of his fingers, it was sending Itachi over board. It made his cock twitch in anticipation. He was imagining what this would be like if Sasuke decides to give him a blowjob. He has to. His tongue moving like this on his fingers, it's against nature for his little brother not to do it.

When he felt that his fingers were wet enough, Itachi retracts his fingers and lightly traces them down Sasuke's chest. He groan, feeling those wet digits trail down like that and then he moans when he feels Itachi's extended fangs brush against his skin. Sasuke pants from the feeling of those smooth, long fangs rubbing against his skin like that. He wanted to plead his brother to bite him and give him that impeccable pleasure it always offered, when he feels one of the fingers circling around his pucker. Was that what wetting the fingers were for?

"Aniki," he calls starting to sound a bit uneasy and tensing just a little.

Seeing this, Itachi raises his other hand to the boy's face and gently caress his cheek in a comforting, assuring matter. His voice is the same as he speaks, "Relax, Sasuke. It's to prepare you."

"But, I mean…are you sure? Once you do this, you're seme for life. We can't change what's been done."

Did he just hear him correctly? Making sure that he did, Itachi lifts himself up a bit to look down at his baby brother again and before him he sees the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Sasuke lays beneath him, his ivory skin glowing with small specs of sweet shining in the small light, his cheeks flush from the new amount of blood he just consumed, his swollen lips partly opened and panting, and his half-lidded eyes clouded with lust, yearning, and curiosity. No one could paint a more perfect picture and no sunrise or sunset could ever be more stunning than this. It's just absolutely perfect. Just like an angel.

With a smile reappearing on his face, Itachi tells him, "I know that but with you looking like this, do you honestly believe you can overpower me?" Before the teenager could even reply, Itachi leans back down again and this time gives Sasuke's ear the same treatment as what he gave to the neck and collarbone. Sasuke's breath hitch and he became unable to say anything in response to his brother's words. If his mind wasn't all fogged up with arousal, he would have replied with something cocky perhaps. But even he has to agree that at this point, Itachi clearly has the upper-hand here. Itachi whispers to his ears, "Just relax, Sasuke. I swear that you are going to love every single moment of this." If what he'd observe in the past is accurate, it'll hurt at first but it'll make the next big part so much easier to handle.

"I already am."

Hearing that response, Itachi removes himself from the ear and places a soft, chaste kiss on Sasuke's lips. The boy responds instantly and pushed it to become a little more than a simple kiss. Itachi happily obliges, loving how this kiss just makes him want to devour the boy right here and now instead of taking this so unbearably slow. But he needs to show restraint. Just a little more and then maybe he can go a little crazy.

Distracting his brother with this mind-blowing kiss, he gently and smoothly squeezes a finger inside. Sasuke groan a little, signaling that he felt it, but he tries to put his focus on the kiss more than a finger waiting for permission to move. However, Itachi was surprised. Sure he doesn't know much personally but it's so warm in there. Warmer, or hotter, than he could ever imagine. Plus, it's so tight to feel his finger squeezed in a tight heaven of that which is Sasuke. Just imagining what it's going to be like for his arousal is making him inpatient with need and desire. He needs to be inside now, but what comes first? His own selfish wants or his brother's well being?

When the teenager didn't say anymore about a finger newly being inside of him, Itachi starts moving that finger in and out of his baby brother's anus. Strange how having a finger inside of you feels weird, new, and a bit uncomfortable but at the same time, it excites you in what you could only imagine of what is to come next once you've been properly prepared. Something much, much bigger.

When his brother became used to just one finger, Itachi darts in the second one and that is when Sasuke breaks the kiss by gasping at the slight pain he felt when two fingers entered him. First he was staring up at the tree branches and the leaves above them before he was met with the darkness of his eye-lids when those fingers began to scissor him. He grimaces from the feel of them and it cause Itachi to try and do something to distract his baby brother of this small pain. He kisses the boy's face starting from the forehead down to the corner of his eyes, his temple, his cheekbones, his nose, and then the corner of the lip. Feeling those feather kisses, Sasuke tries to look at Itachi again and he took that chance to kiss those delicious lips again. Sasuke becomes an active participant again and he admits that this is a good distraction but what he's feeling now is something no training could ever prepare him for. To be stretched like this is truly something never experienced before.

Then it came time to the third finger but Itachi decides this time to stop and look at Sasuke in the eye to be absolutely sure that his little brother is ready for this. Understanding the message in those concern yet ready onyx eyes, he nods and grasps Itachi's face to pull him down for another kiss. 'Get on with it and kiss me' it appears he said secretly. Itachi slides in the third finger and from all of the stretching, it didn't hurt as bad. In fact, it's finally starting to feel good. Sasuke moans and mews at every chance he could get as he feels those fingers sliding in and out of him, trying at every angle to search for…something. Sasuke wanted to know what was his brother looking for but then at one particular angle, he got his answer. He suddenly arches his back at the new sensational feeling of pleasure as he breaks the kiss again and his eyes wide open. He couldn't see anything this time. Only white.

"Wh…What was…that?"

Found it. The one spot that would make Sasuke see the very stars and feel a hot warmth spread through his very veins and then make him hungry for more. His prostate.

Becoming fascinated with the boy's neck again, Itachi keeps pumping his fingers hitting that one spot over and over again. By then Sasuke became free to moaning as much as he wanted every time his prostate was hit – music to the older vampire's ears. He's starting to get close again. He can already feel a tightness growing in his gut as it becomes stronger and almost unbearable to control. Sweat is starting to gather in mass and roll down his body as Itachi is enjoying every drop of it. But he can see how close Sasuke is starting to become again. He can also see tears peaking at the corners from the intensity of this exotic, blissful feeling.

And then after one more hit to that bundle of nerves, Itachi pulls out and he pulls all the way out. Sasuke's moan that rang in the night became shaky groan as he comes back from that high and then that groan turned to what almost sounded like growling. He wanted those fingers back.

But Itachi has another good distraction. "Can you assist me, otouto?" he asks. To indicate what he means, grasps the hem of Sasuke's pants and pulls them completely off the boy's slender, smooth legs. It works, for a moment, because as soon as those pants were off, Sasuke uses his feet to push Itachi's pants off his body with his toes. Now his older brother hovers over him, naked and with a cock thick, hard, and dripping with pre-cum. It was weird for Sasuke to see that because according to him, he didn't really do very much besides the love bite.

Positioning himself to Sasuke's hole, Itachi looks into his little brother's eyes one more time to ask if he is absolutely and completely prepared to what is to come because once this happens, there is no going back at all. Unlike last time when the younger prince was just 'get it over with', he's fully aware that now this is the point of no return. They cross this line and that'll be it. But he has complete and utter faith in the man over him. When they do this, they will be together forever – they will love only one another and they will be faithful and devoted only to each other. With one last nod, he tells his brother to go on.

At that answer, Itachi enters his baby brother's ass and he does it as easily and as slowly as he can to not hurt the boy. But both of them gasp and tense at the massive feeling of how good it felt to be squeezed or how painful it was to be stretched so much more than three fingers could ever do. Sasuke had to cling onto Itachi and his fingers dug into the man's back at the feeling of being stretched beyond his limits while Itachi had to use his arms to lean his weight on the ground instead of suffocating his little brother – which is how Sasuke sounds right now, gasping and panting. It took everything the older man had to not just slam himself into this tight heaven he has entered. It just all feels so perfect and it's causing him to sweat at the pressure of this delicious feeling that's engulfing him. The tightness and the heat of his baby brother's body.

"F…Fuck! Agh!" Sasuke cries out once his brother has completely and fully entered him. Man, the guy is HUGE! Never in his life has the younger Uchiha felt physical pain like this before. A pain that is bringing tears to his eyes and making his cheeks the same shade red as his favorite fruit. However behind that pain, he can feel a faint trace of pleasure behind it all. Faint but from the moment be became filled to the brink of the man he loved, he could feel a warmth hidden within the pain building up in his lower stomach and grow till it could burst throughout his entire body. Now that is something worth expecting for.

But despite that, he's not relaxing at all. He's tensed and that just tightens on Itachi's cock all the more. The older vampire is grimacing but it just all feels so good. His brother's ass is just so tight and so warm, he thought that he can melt right here and there. So this is what his fellow vampire hunters feel every time they have sex. No wonder they do it so often. This feels so good.

But there's one more thing. His inner vampire is starting to act up.

"Relax, otouto," he growls at the hollow of his little brother's neck. His eyes are glowing red with desire and his fangs have extended. He smoothes his fangs against that delicate, hot skin and instantly it makes Sasuke feel so much better. He relaxes a bit as Itachi moves his way from the neck, up the throat, the chin, and then the cheek. He licks away Sasuke's tears, tasting just as delicious as the boy's blood, and staring down at his withering, straining form while he's still clinging to him. Oh Kyuubi, he's so beautiful.

"Are you alright?" he asks, trying to sound normal but there is a sense of huskiness when he spoke.

The young prince nods quickly to assure him, even though more tears are gathering in his eyes from the pain and the intensity of his emotions. He cries out his brother's name for a moment before trying to relax more to say, "Maybe…_wince_ maybe it was a good thing you're the seme. You're so freaking huge!"

For that, Itachi had to chuckle. Here the boy is, trying to get him to relax so this wouldn't hurt him, and he's making a comment about his size. "And you're just too adorable for your own good. My little uke."

Sasuke gives him a slight glare for that. What man likes to be called 'adorable' or 'cute'? He grabs a handful of Itachi's hair to bring him right up close and personal so he could say, "At least give me some credit for all that I'm going through." Itachi still just grins at him, the hunger and lust clearly in his eyes and his mouth dry with anticipation.

"You are so deliciously tight. It's turning me on even more. But you have to relax or you'll hurt yourself."

"Then hurry the hell up."

Oh as much as he wants to, "You need to relax first. I'm right here, Sasuke. I'm not going anywhere."

The grip on Itachi's hair loosens when he said that. His words struck something inside of the younger prince. In all honesty, he thought he was tensing up because there is really nothing like how he's feeling right now. But is he afraid that this is all a dream and he's going to wake up from this delirious delusion and find his brother not by his side? But that should be impossible! This pain is real. This passion is real. Every single second of this is real. So he should relax.

"I know." He brings Itachi closer and they lock lips into another heated, sloppy kiss. Being an active participant, Itachi also grasps one of his little brother's hands and entwines their fingers together to remind the boy further that he's here. Itachi moves from the lips down to the neck again and Sasuke arches his back at the fiery passions burning in his veins and the sweet, sweet pleasure of his brother's mouth.

Before he realized it, he'd grown accustomed to Itachi's size and the heat in his lower stomach is growing bigger with each passionate second and has become more intense.

"Move," he commands, and Itachi is more than happy to obey. Gently, he pulls out and then he rams himself back in. Sasuke gasps and moans at the first thrust, for it intensified the heat and with each one that came afterwards, it increases even more until he's really starting to sweat. "Aniki!"

Itachi tries to keep it at an even pace but each sound he hears from his love's lips, each sensation he gets with each thrust, he's losing his self-control to the animal within. The speed increases and the thrusts get stronger but there's just one tiny little thing. Where the heck is that prostate?

With a little guidance on spreading the legs just a little more and thrusting in the angle his fingers were once were, he found it. Sasuke arched his back and cry out into the night air, "HAAAAA! AHHHH!" probably loud enough for the whole castle to hear. Instantly his own eyes bleed red and his fangs extended once again from the inexplicable pleasure. "Again, nii-san!"

Found it.

"Spread your legs a little more, Sasuke." He did as he was told and Itachi helps lift them up a little more to make his thrusts deeper and made his little brother feel fuller than he ever thought he could possibly be. He abused the boy's prostate with deadly accuracy and each one made Sasuke cry out in his pleasure – not as loud as his first cry but still audible and very arousing to hear.

Surprisingly on instinct, Sasuke spreads his legs a little more and wraps them around his brother's waist. As best as he could, he tries to meet with Itachi's penetration and that just made it all the more wonderful. The boy learns fast.

"Sasuke. Does this feel good?" Like he needs words to know that it does, but he wants to hear the words from the boy's own lips. He needs to know. He has to.

The young prince knows that his older brother is being mean. It's hard to talk, let alone think of his very normal response. But all he's able to progress is, "YES! This feels so good! And…am I…"

Itachi smiles to that. A smile he would only ever give to his baby brother and no one else. "Absolutely, koneko-chan." Locking with Sasuke's swollen ones, he only gives him a chaste kiss before traveling down to the chin and traveling up to the ear. He licks the lob and nibbles on it without using his fangs as he listens to more of his little brother's delicious, wanton moans.

Then, they both could feel it coming and coming hard.

Itachi pulls away for a little, panting from how intense he could feel it but still moving within Sasuke. The younger prince could feel it too but he also has that heat now ready to explode. It's like a walking time bomb and the time's out would be….

"Nii-san, I'm gonna...!"

"I know, otouto. Me too."

They hold onto each other as tightly as they could.

And then a white blank flushes over them. All they can see is white and their minds go completely blank as they climax for the first time ever; Sasuke all over between their chests and Itachi deeply within his baby brother. But that wasn't the end of it.

Right at their climax, they lost all human control. Baring their long fangs, they lean in or lift themselves up to reach the others neck and they bite. Their blood bursts into the other's mouth like fireworks and they suck on it greedily from the excitement of their lovemaking and the finishing touches on their mating.

With this bite and their seeds either within or all over them, they have finally sealed the deal. Their souls are at last connected and they are finally a whole. They will never feel incomplete again. The marks that will be created from this night will never go away. It is their forever mark and the mark that they belong to each other, now and forever.

The more blood they both drink, the sooner they return back to earth from their high. Consciousness and reason slowly and evidently come back into their minds. It took several minutes before it did. Their sucking became less forceful and their bright red eyes dull away. Soon, they were only sipping each other's blood and their eyes returned to their original black ones. At the same time, they release the other and lick the wounds of their mark to seal the wound.

As exhausted as he feels, Itachi uses what little strength he has left to pull himself out of his baby brother, nice and easy. Sounding just as he feels, he asks, "Are you alright?" Using a little more, he looks at his now mate's face.

Sasuke's face is still flushed, his eyes still hazy with what happened, but he smiles at the man over him and answers, while still huffing and heaving, "That was…heh…That was amazing."

Itachi rests his forehead against Sasuke's and agrees, "Indeed." Instead of kissing him like the boy thought he was going to do, Itachi moves lower and licks the semen on Sasuke's chest. The younger prince hitches his breathe he when feels that tongue on his hot, sweaty skin. To Itachi, the taste is beyond tastier than it was before. Mmmm, mother's milk. "Otouto, I love you."

Seeing that he's finished, and seeing that he's directly above him again, Sasuke's getting a little tired of always being looked down upon. With one finger, he pushes Itachi on the ground besides him and before the older prince could progress what just happened, Sasuke's licking his older brother's chest as well to clean off the bit of semen that got on as well like a little kitten and fresh milk. Itachi lets out a short gasp from that but loves it completely as his little brother licks him clean. To Sasuke, his semen tastes weird. Salty but with Itachi's sweat mixed with it, he can grow accustomed to this. Then swiftly and effortlessly, Sasuke takes off his white rob shirt once he was done to cover them both before collapsing back down on the ground and snuggling against his love's chest. "I love you too, nii-san. Always."

The boy looks up at his brother's face and Itachi had to smile at the joy in those onyx eyes. It almost reminds him a lot of when Sasuke used to look at him with such big, adoring, innocent eyes. Holding his love closer against his body, he kisses Sasuke's forehead and nestles his nose into the boy's hair; breathing in that amazing scent which is Sasuke.

Forever are they mated and never will they ever be a part again.

* * *

**And there! God, it's done! Hallelujah!**

**Now how was it and please tell me the truth. I want to improve in my writing so please, please, please tell me how it went! Was it bad? Good? Still needs some work? Till next time!**

**PS; by the way, Akatsuki is showing up in the next chapter.**

**Bye!**


	30. This is My Home

**A/N: Oh my gosh! Phew! I'm done! Hoorah!**

**Okay before I really say anything, I just wanna thank you guys for the wonderful reviews from my last chapter. I really want to thank you guys because I was extremely worried about my smex scene. I'm not too good with scenes like that and I'm so relieved to know that you guys liked it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**As mentioned before, this is the chapter where the Akatsuki will come in. What will happen to our two favorite Uchihas now that they have finally found together and are forever together in an ancient vampire tradition?**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters, nor do I own the story. I wish I did but unfortunately now. Besides at the moment, I wanna know what else Kishimoto has up his sleeve. Thank you again for the awesome reviews from last chapter and throughout the entire story. They really motivate me to write and I hope you all understand the depths of my gratitude for everyone. Thank you and enjoy!**

* * *

Ch. 30: This is My Home

When Itachi woke up, it was to the light and the warmth of the sun shining through the leaves of the willow tree. The warmth was faint and the light was blinding on his eye lids. The only reason why the warmth did not compare to the light was because he already feels the warmth inside and he has something curled up against his chest.

Reluctantly but willingly, the older Uchiha wakes up from his peaceful and blissful sleep to see raven black spiky locks spread through the shades of grass like black rivers in a green forest. Looking down, he sees the source of those black rivers. His angel, his god, his love, his mate. Resting comfortably in his older brother's arms, Sasuke still lays asleep with a calm, serene look on his face. It's nice to see him look so relaxed and so at peace. It brings a sense of Itachi's own peace when he sees his little brother like this. After all the pain, all of the stress, the events of last night run through Itachi's mind and for one moment, things feel as though everything is going to be alright from now on. He's finally mated with his true love. Neither him nor Sasuke will ever spend another dark and lonely day apart.

'_Sasuke…'_

They are one.

Smiling down at the boy in his arms, Itachi moves one hand up to his little brother's face to move aside the few strands of hair that dare to hid Sasuke's perfect.

"Are you going to stare at me all day or what?"

But right when he was about to, Sasuke surprises Itachi with his question. Next the older vampire is meet with black onyx eyes opening and then looking at his own without a sense of drowsiness in them. It sure takes Itachi off guard to see those eyes staring deep within him as if looking at his very soul. But he still smiles at the boy and continues his attempt at moving those strands of hair away.

"I forgot. You're the earlier riser."

"No," Sasuke tells him. "Surprisingly, you woke up before me. I'm just a light sleeper, unlike someone."

Unlike someone? That's a laugh.

Chuckling, Itachi strokes Sasuke's soft cheek, having a secret desire to bite and kiss it, and he comments, "You're so cute."

The boy blushes when he heard that. He would argue that he's not, when really he is, but there's something else on his mind. "You being here…" avoiding looking at Itachi's eyes, he looks down at his chest and uses his fingers between them to gently smoother around in circles as he mumbles, "…it means what happened last night really happened. Or maybe, I'm still dreaming and you won't be here when I wake up."

Not this again. How many times does Itachi have to try and convince this boy that he's right here and he's never going to leave him again? In a way, it would have annoyed him but Itachi understands why his brother would still think that.

"Sasuke, what happened last night, it was real. Every single bit of it." Using his hand to make the younger prince look up at him, he uses that same hand to trace the bite marks on his own neck that are still visibly there like a scar that will never fade. "This mark you left on me is proof of it, as much as this mark I've left on you." He then traces the mark on Sasuke's own neck to prove his point.

The young prince still looks skeptical but he wants to believe it. Here he is, naked with the vampire he's been in love with for his whole life and nothing but his shirt to cover them up. How can he not believe this? Then when he looks into Itachi's eyes, all he could see is true, sincere love. No deceit and no anger.

"You really love me then?" Sasuke asks, and hopefully for the last time.

Moving his fingers from his neck, Itachi's presses his palm against his love's cheek and whispers to him in a low and gentle voice, "Yes, I do. You know I don't like to repeat myself."

"Well then deal with it. Repeat yourself anyway."

Why must this boy be so difficult?

"I…don't hate you."

To Sasuke, moment ruined. He turns away from Itachi's hand as he says, "That's not the same."

"But it's what you need to hear." Grasping his chin to turn him back into sight, Sasuke still refuses to look at Itachi in the eye, even though the older prince can tell that his words hit home. "I can tell you still believe that I have every right to hate you and maybe, I should agree to that. But I can't. I just don't feel it. I feel something else entirely. I love you, Sasuke. I am unconditionally and inexorably in love with you. My beautiful, foolish otouto." Then he moves in and plants a firm, chaste on Sasuke's lips. It didn't take too long for the vampire prince to respond, feeling every bit of emotion his older brother is putting into it. He returns the favor and it leaves him utterly breathless. Sasuke pants with slightly flushed cheeks when the kiss ended and his cheek is back to being held by Itachi's hand. Now looking at each other eye to eye, Itachi tells him, "We cannot forget the past, even if we want to. But we can heal what's been broken. Being with you can heal my scars and I want to heal yours. Will you let me?"

At this moment, there should no longer be any doubt. Even if there was, they can't turn back now. Itachi ruined Sasuke for anyone else to have, literally. And Itachi cannot claim anyone else for his entire being belongs to his little brother, as he belongs to him. Touching the mark on his shoulder, the flesh still sensitive to the touch by the rough but blissful pleasure bite, the younger prince appears to be in thought. Itachi still lays there beside him, waiting for his response. He already said it once but he will say it again. He's already waited twenty years for Sasuke. He can wait just a little longer because he knows how fast this is, for both of them.

Sighing in defeat, Sasuke says, "I have no choice. This mark won't let me do anything else anyways." Then his lips curl up into a small shy smile causing nothing but pure adoration to appear in Itachi's eyes for him.

"Thank goodness for that then."

Then they lock lips together again in a hot and passionate kiss. Sasuke giggles in the kiss before grasping Itachi's face to pull him closer and melt under that hot skillful mouth. Holding the younger prince close, Itachi licks the bottom lip to ask permission to enter and Sasuke didn't object in the least. Tilting his head to a better angel, Sasuke's hands move to wrap around his older brother's waste and Itachi is in a better position to taste his little brother's mouth and drink him up like a parched man in an oasis. Then when they broke for air, they didn't stop. As Itachi kisses his little mate's face upwards, Sasuke kisses him downwards – till they're both just holding each other in a loving embrace. Sasuke snuggled up against the older vampire's chest and Itachi's chin pressed on top of the younger prince's head.

Nothing can destroy this moment. Nothing.

Except one thing.

All of a sudden, both princes smell something. Something that only their highly sensitive noses can detect. It smells like dirt, sulfur, charcoal, and something that reminds them of saltpeter.

"Aniki," Sasuke calls, pulling slightly away to make sure what he's smelling is what he's smelling. "Do you…smell that?"

Itachi pulls away as well as he answers, "Yes." To him, this scent smells so familiar. Right now it's faint but before, he distinctly remembers smelling a large amount of this once…as a human…

Then it all clicks. _'Hold on! I know this scent.'_ The last time he smelled this combination was whenever he was with Deidara of the Akatsuki! When he was making his bombs or when he was just nearby, he would always smell like dirt and gunpowder.

Sasuke must have recognize the scent as well from his one brief encounter with the bomber before he instantly orders, "Pass me the rest of my clothes, quick!"

Without hesitation, Itachi shot up into a sitting position and easily locates the rest of his little brother's clothing. "Here," he says after grabbing the pants and the belt rope to pass to him.

Though the minute Sasuke sits up, in a rather fast pace, pain shots throughout his body from his butt up. "Oh fuck, ow…" he cringes. Itachi had already found the rest of his clothes and was just about to put his pants on first when he heard his beloved crying out like that.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

But all he gets is a snappy response, "Hell fucking no. I feakin hurt!" Was Itachi a little too hard last night? "But…it's worth it, right?"

But geez this boy. And yet with him looking so defenseless with those ingenuous eyes and those soft lips that almost look like a pout, his forehead looking just as attractive, how can Itachi do anything but smile at the droll, coy boy and poke his forehead. "Yes." Then he leans in to kiss those soft lips one more time. "Now hurry. You need to go to Naruto and protect him."

"And leave you here?" Sasuke asks, having slipped on his white shirt and is now hastily putting his pants on. Itachi already has his pants on and is sliding his shirt on over his head. With their vampire speed, changing is taking only five seconds.

As he's trying his hair back into his usual low ponytail, Itachi responds to his little brother, "I'm not the same person I was when I first got here. I can take care of it. Can't you have just a little bit of faith in me? Besides," Using his hand to grasp Sasuke's chin, the boy is on his last tie with his belt as he looks into those complacent eyes of his with an amusing smirk to top it all off, "I fought with you twice and I won, didn't I?"

"Pfft," he responds. Sasuke slaps that hand away so he could grab his sword and put it in its proper place behind him as he says, "Don't get cocky just because you got lucky." Lucky? Itachi defeated him in front of the whole kingdom and he tricked him last night, did he not? But Itachi still has a point. Sighing, Sasuke gives in reluctantly. "Fine. You better be safe or it's definitely gonna be me kicking your ass."

Itachi had to chuckle when he heard that. Touching his little brother's face one more time, Itachi leans in closer and Sasuke can literally taste the words being spoken from his mouth when he says, "I have no doubt about that." Then they kiss again in a hot, passionate lip lock. Sasuke moans submissively into the kiss as his hands grasp Itachi's shoulders to keep him close and deepen the kiss. Though by the feel of the kiss, the older prince can tell what his little brother is thinking. He may say some snappy things but the truth is he's uneasy about Itachi facing one of the members of the Akatsuki by himself – a member of an organization he was once in and according to them, still in. He's uneasy because he might lose him again.

Having to unwillingly break the kiss, Itachi pulls away from his love and tells him honestly and seriously, "Now go."

Sasuke nods and stares at him for a little bit longer before turning away and using his speed to hastily run into the castle and not be seen by the human eye. Itachi watches him go. Even though he sounded confident and so sure of himself in front of his love, he's uneasy as well as to what is to come. After all, the Akatsuki were up to toll with the Kaguya clan but after being a part of their organization for many years, Itachi knows exactly what they're capable of. Something that his little brother can't just take an evening stroll through. With Deidara, it shouldn't be a problem. He's strong, yes; but the Uchiha is much stronger. Except if the bomber is with another member, or even the rest of them, then there is a serious problem. Itachi is really hoping that this isn't the last time he gets to see his beloved. They just found each other, after all.

With Sasuke gone and out of danger, Itachi casually walks out of the protection of the garden and into the open. The morning is still young and the air is still cool. The sun has yet to regain its warm heat but it's still bright enough to wake everyone else in the castle for the start of their new day. Let's just hope that it'll still be a peaceful start.

'_Now Deidara, where are you?'_ the older prince wonders as he merely looks as if he's just walking through the garden. He doesn't have Karin's ability so he can't pinpoint exactly where the blonde is.

_Snap_

But at least he can hear where he might be hiding.

That tactic should be useless. Deidara should know that if he makes an irresponsible move like that, he wouldn't have survived as long as he has. Which means one thing. He wants Itachi to know that he's here.

Itachi had already stopped when he heard the snap noise. Taking a moment to regain back his usual facade he would usually have with the Akatsuki, Itachi voices out, "Deidara, I know you're there."

Then he hears rushing footsteps coming their way from the garden wall ten meters away to Itachi. Casually, he turns around to face the Akatsuki bomber but what he didn't expect was Deidara's hug as soon as he turned completely around. It wasn't the hug that surprised him. It was the fact that Itachi could only feel one arm around his body when the shorter man reached him. Observing the rest of the body, he sees that Deidara is missing an arm. When did that…

"Oh Itachi!" the blonde cries off, softly. He pulls away to better face his, what he hopes isn't, former Akatsuki member and Itachi can clearly see the relief on his face on seeing him. "Thank goodness you're alright, un! You're still alive, un. But are you…?"

He doesn't need to finish that question. Itachi already knows the rest of it.

Regaining his composure after the small shock, Itachi nods to the blonde's unspoken question. "Yes. They turned me. But, what happened to your arm?"

"Your bastard of a brother cut my arm off but that doesn't matter right now, un. Come with me, hurry, un!" He grabs one of Itachi's hands and tries to pull him to the wall so they can leave as quickly as they can before anyone else sees them or tries to stop them. "If I shield you from the sunlight once we get past the gate, you won't get burned, un. We'll take you to Sasori and he'll turn you back into a human, un!"

But when they can move only a few steps away from where they previously stood, Itachi yanks his hand away from Deidara's grip. The long hair blonde did not expect that to happen. Turning around to face the vampire, it didn't surprise him too much to see blank yet serious satin eyes look right at him and through his very soul. "I told you, Diedara. I can never become a human again if I'm turned by another vampire. The formula Sasori made for me can only be used once." That surprises the long haired blonde but no way is he giving up on him that easily.

"But come with me still, un! Sasori's smart. He'll think of something to help you regain your humanity back. I'm sure of it, un!"

"It was already a challenge for him to turn me what could be considered human, but I was born a vampire. A vampire is what I am and the moment I set foot into Akatsuki, I'll be killed on the spot. It's too late for me, Deidara."

Now the bomber is in shock. Feeling the irritation rising in his veins, he yells at the Uchiha, but not too loud for any of the castle subjects to hear him, "I can't believe what I'm hearing from you, un! Itachi, you can't give up! Even if you think you'll be killed, I know you're still the same vampire hunter we worked with since this organization started! They can't kill you just because you're a vampire now, un. We're a family and we look out for each other, even when it looks like we don't sometimes!"

"But I'm not the same anymore, Deidara." Now, the blonde is speechless. When Itachi said that to him, he heard something in the guy's voice. It almost sounded like he added emotion into his voice. Something that Deidara had never heard before in the once love doll's voice. "I'm not the same vampire hunter you used to know. I've changed."

"Wh…What are you saying, un?"

"I'm saying that I'm not going back to the Akatsuki. I'm staying here because this is my home."

This can't be happening. This **cannot** be happening!

"Your home? Itachi, do you even hear the words that are coming out of your mouth? Realize what you're saying, un! This was the place you left twenty years ago! The hell you left behind after they killed your love! Or have you forgotten about him?"

Of course Itachi hasn't forgotten about him. It was the memory of Shisui that tortured him all these years but it also brought him back to Sasuke. He's here now because of Shisui. He mated with Sasuke because of him, and he's standing before Deidara because of Shisui.

"I can never forget about Shisui, or the love I had for him. Nor will I, but I've realized now that avenging his death isn't going to bring me any peace or bring him back. It's only going to cause me more misery. I'm tired, Deidara. I'm not going back, and I'm not going to allow anyone to hurt the people I care about."

Deidara is refusing to believe all of this. No matter what words are being spoken to him, he's not going to take 'no' for an answer. Itachi must not be right in the head. The vampires must have brain washed him or something. He has heard that if someone is turned into a vampire, then they become loyal servants to the vampire who bite him, or something like that. That must be what's happening to Itachi now! It's only been a few days since he's been turned right? Plenty of time for them to tie their strings around him but not enough to trust him with his own decisions.

"This isn't you talking, un," the blonde persists. Grabbing Itachi's hand again, he says strongly and sternly, "Listen to me, Itachi! These people don't care about you. They're blood-sucking monsters with no compassion for any human life at all! You are not like that. You were never like that! Born vampire or not, you are nothing like them!"

Then just like before, Itachi yanks his hand away from the blonde's grip. This shocks Deidara even more because compared to the last time when he did that, he didn't yank it away with such force like he did now. Almost like what the blonde just said to him greatly insulted him. "You don't know them. So stop acting like you do!" Or at least to his 'new' family. The blonde is frozen where he stands while Itachi takes the moment to regain his composure. He didn't intend to raise his voice like that but it just happened. Even that's not a valid excuse. "Deidara, I am going to ask you nicely to leave this castle. Go back to the Akatsuki and to Sasori. He's probably worried sick about you. You may not believe that but he does. Go to him and don't ever come back. Because I will not hesitate to do what is needed to protect my family."

Then he turns around to leave. If Deidara is smart, he would take the vampire's offer and leave while he still has the chance. However watching him walking away, Deidara didn't like it with each step he took. He didn't like it because it felt like Itachi abandoned him. Abandoned everyone else and is being controlled by those blood thirsty monsters.

Just like someone who was once very precious to him long ago…

His…

"Itachi!" Deidara calls, trying to bring him back. But the long hair brunette doesn't even flinch when he called for him at the top of his lungs. He just keeps walking back to the castle. Deidara's bottom lip quivered until he bursts out, saying, "Itachi, if you don't come with me right now, I'll blow up the sun protection barrier!"

That stopped the vampire prince definitely.

Turning around to see for certain if Deidara was serious in what he just said. But seeing his angry tears peaking at his azure eyes, he most certainly is not kidding.

"Leader told me about this your family's little sun protection barrier and how it's generated from the surrounding wall. Do you remember my C4 bombs?" Itachi's eyes widen when he heard that. He remembers. "I've already scattered them all around this place. They can't get through your barrier but at least it can still destroy it. Even if the wall regenerates the barrier, it'll be enough time to turn everyone you care about to a burnt crisp before it could. Even if I'm killed right now to stop those bombs from going off, the Akatsuki will be here in three days – according to plan. I want you to make your choice, Itachi. Either come with me or stay here and die like the rest of these vermin vampires."

There becomes silence between them after that. Deidara's C4 bombs are microscopic. They are invisible to be seen by the human or vampire eye. Very effective to use for large armies and also very risky to use in danger that he might kill his own comrades in the process, but nonetheless very powerful. However, they take a lot of time and effort to make. Deidara must have used the three days until now to make them. Even if one hand, that's very impressive. But beside the point, how is Itachi supposed to find his way around this? If he agrees to go back to the Akatsuki, then everyone will be safe but he'll be considered a traitor again and he just mated with his younger brother. Who knows how Sasuke will take that and Itachi knows for sure that it would kill him to be apart from his love again. But if he refuses, then everyone will die, including the rest of the vampire race if Naruto is caught in the middle of the cross fire. If Itachi kills Deidara, then he can save everyone, he won't be a traitor, but can he kill someone who he has come to known during his twenty years with Akatsuki? Someone who also has become very precious to someone else? Is he willing to be responsible for the death of someone else's loved one? That would make him no better than the despicable creatures who do that out of the joy of seeing other people's pain?

That is definitely not what he's like.

But, there could be one other way.

As much as it secret kills him inside, he has no other choice in the matter.

Regaining his composure again, Itachi relaxes his features to revert back to his emotionless doll expression but this time with vampire red eyes staring right into Deidara, piercing the hunter's soul with surprise and fear.

"I suppose there's only one option left then." Then he suddenly disappears and the next second, Deidara senses his presence behind him – a dark and dangerous presence that sends shivers ten times colder than ice down his spin. "Forgive me, Deidara."

Quickly before the long haired vampire prince could do anything to him, Deidara swiftly turns around, hoping to dodge whatever kind of attack Itachi plans to do. But when he turns around to face him, there is nothing – as if Itachi was never there in the first place. Confusion appears on his girly face as he frantically looks around in front of him to see where Itachi has gone but there is nothing.

Then before he could blink, an arm wraps around his waist, a hand grabs the side of his head and pulls it down, and then two sharp fangs find his neck and pierce right through his fragile skin. The instant he bite him, Deidara screams from the sharpness of the fangs and the extreme pain he felt that very second. Quickly to make sure that no one else will hear him, Itachi covers Deidara's mouth and uses every amount of his will power to only suck a little bit of his blood for the turning to be complete.

He can't just bite the blonde and watch from the sidelines as he screams to the world in his agony while the vampire venom spreads through his veins.

But in all honesty, Itachi didn't expect Deidara's blood to be so filthy. He could taste the gunpowder and the heavy amounts of iron in the blood. If Deidara really did spread the C4 bombs all over the barrier than he risked inhaling his own bombs when he entered through it. Drinking his blood would put Itachi in risk of the C4 bombs entering his own body as well. But at least this way, it would be a lot better than the entire castle being exposed to it and once Itachi has Deidara under his control, he could disable the bombs or use the three days the blonde would need for a full transformation for Sasuke to disable them. Him or Kakashi, as long as it's a lightning user.

Deidara's screams are muffled by Itachi's hand. He tried to use his one hand to remove that hand and get away from the vampire prince but the more blood he loses, the harder it becomes to do so. If only he could hear the thoughts running through Itachi's head right now, he would hear how sorry the prince really feels about doing this and how much he hopes that the blonde would understand and forgive him for doing this.

But it must be done. To protect everyone and to make sure that another person does not weep or mourn for a loved one's death, Itachi needs to have Deidara under his control. Even if that means turning Deidara into the one thing he hates most in all the world.

Several minutes passed and Deidara's muffled screaming grows quieter. He's starting to become too weak to stay conscious any longer, and that's a good thing. At least then he won't be awake to full feel the pain of the vampire transformation. Not wanting to risk his comrade dying of blood loss, because similar to him the blonde is in all honesty too stubborn to allow unconsciousness to overcome his senses, Itachi retracts his fangs from Deidara's neck and releases him. As the blonde drops to the floor in his weakness, there is blood smudged on Itachi's lips and blood trails running down the corner of his mouth and to his chin. His eyes are still burning red but not with hunger. Only from the side effects of allowing the animal inside of him to follow its instincts and protect his family. He watches as Deidara now lies on the floor, twitching and tensing as if he were having a seizure – his teeth clench together in a tight grip that keeps his screaming inside. That's good but his wound is still bleeding.

"Deidara." Itachi kneels down to the blonde's side and he tries to speak to him, "Listen to me. This pain will not last. You need to stay relax and deal with this as best as you can. You will survive. Just remain calm."

He wanted to comfort the man as much as he could. Even though the guilt is eating away at him for doing such a thing to a guy who tried to protect him and held him when he revealed his inner feelings, Itachi must not lose faith. Not now.

He leans over to the blonde's neck to lick away the blood and seal the wound with his saliva but before he could, he feels this great force at the back of his head. Something he did not expect that instantly plunged him into the world of darkness. As he collapses on the blonde's body unconscious, a dark figure looms over him – glaring from his one red eye nothing but pure hatred and disgust.

"Now you finally get exactly what you deserve, you murdering scum."

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**I'm pretty sure you guys know who just knocked Itachi out but now what's going to happened? Deidara is turning into a vampire and apparently Itachi is going to get 'exactly what he deserves'.**

**Dun, dun, DUN!**

**But how was it? Bad? Good? Too corny? Let me know! See ya!**


	31. Take a Leap of Faith

**A/N: Hello, everyone. Thanks to you all, I'm finally at the part where I have been daydreaming about the most during this entire story. However for this chapter, I sort of feel like I didn't do too much justice for this chapter. The next one is definitely the chapter I have been itching to write for a while. At the end of this chapter, you will understand why.**

**But for the mean time, I know I feel like I would be repeating myself with what happened in chapter 28 and 30 but I swear that it'll be the last time and you will all love me again the next chapter after the drama.**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. If I did, I would bring out Itachi or Sasuke since they basically disappeared again off the face of the earth in the manga and I would so hook them up after permanently reviving Itachi. But sadly no, and that is not what I plan on doing for WWYDN,S. Sorry guys. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and please, please, please keep them coming! I love them all and like how this story is quickly updated, more chapters will be coming in even quicker with your reviews. Thank you and enjoy!**

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Ch. 31: Take a Leap of Faith

_Pop_

_Pop_

"Congratulations, Sasuke!" both Naruto and Suigetsu cheer after pulling the string on the mini confetti bombs. As the twirly light feather strings and tiny pieces of paper glide through the air and land on the now-mated vampire prince, Sasuke's body is actually shaking with his bangs covering his eyes and a vein pulsing on his head.

"You two…" Pulling a few strings off his head, he bursts out yelling, "This is not the time to be celebrating, you idiots!"

"But Sasuke," Naruto whines, trying to look cute in front of his protector, "we're just so happy for you! You've finally mated with the person you love most instead of Sakura-chan."

Putting his arm on the raven-head's shoulders, Suigetsu tells him, "And you ask me, good pick! If I had to chose between those two, I would most definitely go for your brother." When he said that, two people glares death at him and of course he remains completely unaffected. Just pulls his arm away and runs off giggling like a little girl.

At the moment, Sasuke is in the library that consists of Naruto, Suigetsu, Karin – the other person glaring at the silver hair human; Kimimaro, and Juugo. When Sasuke returned to the castle, it did take him a small while to look for the blonde but shocking enough he found him in the library, studying with Kimimaro as his tutor. Not sleeping in his room, wasting the day away. If the Uchiha prince hadn't already had other things on his mind, he would have thought he was most definitely dreaming. He told them about the Akatsuki attack but of course these morons had other less important thoughts going through their head as soon as they saw Sasuke. They asked him about where he was last night, what happened to Itachi after Naruto ambushed him at the front gate – which deserved a furious Uchiha glare since everyone he knows what happens when Naruto first greets people; and more importantly, why Sasuke smells like Itachi. He tried to tell them never mind and that they had more pressing issues to worry about, but they were persistent. He asked if they would drop the subject if he told them what happened and they swore that they would but of course as soon as he announced that he mated with Itachi, they started popping out the confetti and wanted to bring out the champagne. Which leads to now…

"Geez!" Suigetsu exclaims, sounding like a little kid who was told recess was over in the middle of his favorite game. "I was just stating the truth. If I was in your shoes and I was head over heels in love with my brother, I would so love a piece of that ass. Have you looked at that thing?"

Suddenly the room becomes very hot with flames of furry and intense jealousy, and actually some of that heat is real. Behind Sasuke is a big flower bush and in less than a second, it bursts into flames and looks like a giant torch light. Naruto is hiding behind Juugo as both him and Kimimaro stare at the burning bush in surprise. Karin would have been surprised by that as well, if she wasn't glaring eyes of promising an agonizing and slow death to Suigetsu.

"Listen you…" Sasuke growls. He goes up to the human, grabs his collar to lift him five inches off the floor, and glares red razor sharp daggers – ready to end his life if the moron doesn't shut up. "Shut your mouth or I really will end your life right here with your blood staining the floor and walls of this library."

"Then every time you look at it, you can remember how I made my statement of how lucky you are to have a sexy god for a brother and a mate. Though you're a gorgeous piece of meat yourself, Sasuke."

As the flames burn hotter and bigger, Karin cracks her knuckles and says, "Sasuke-sama, release him so that I may ring that pervert's neck!"

All of a sudden, very surprisingly, Suigetsu yelps and tries to hide behind the Uchiha prince like a frightened puppy in the middle of a busy road. "Sasuke, do me a favor and protect me!"

Oh sure. Be afraid of your ex-girlfriend but not the vampire prince whose mate you were just making comments about.

"Enough," Kimimaro finally steps in to stop anyone from hurting or killing anyone. Turning to Sasuke, he says, "Sasuke-sama, you came in here with an emergency. What is the emergency?"

Right when he said that, Sasuke suddenly remembers and drops the humans in his grip to the ground. As Suigetsu collapses to the ground as well as the flames burning the plant dies down, the young prince tells his former vampire servant, "There is an attack. That Akatsuki bomber from before is back and Itachi is fighting him right now."

The room suddenly goes silent in their shock and then a split second later, two people go on red alert mood.

"Karin!" Suigetsu calls from the ground. "Why didn't you mention anything about an attack?"

"Because I didn't sense anything, idiot! I also only woke up at least half an hour ago! There was something earlier but it just felt like little particles of dust and it disappeared so quickly, I didn't think much of it!"

Karin…didn't sense anything besides what felt like specks of dust? That is by far the most shocking thing yet because nothing has ever passed her sensory abilities.

Juugo turns to Sasuke and asks, "What does this mean, Sasuke-sama?"

Naruto buts in asking, "It must mean that they've figured out a way around Karin's detecting abilities, right? They could very well sneak under our defenses and attack right?"

"No. Let's just think about this rationally, because Karin can get easily distracted at any given time." When he said that, the red head looks at Sasuke in gaping surprise that he could actually say that about her after everything that she's done before. Then snapping his gaze to her, he commands, "Karin, do a full scan out twenty meters beyond our castle boarders now."

Startled, she responds, "…G-Got it!" Closing her eyes and concentrating, everyone holds their breath as they all wait for her report. "I can't see much pass the barrier. It's like…It's like there's something covering the sun protection barrier that's blocking my view. Just like dust covering glass." Then she takes a moment. From the look on her face, she appears to have found something interesting that's also bothering her besides the dust blockage. Only Suigetsu got that hint since everyone else is more concerned on what they're hearing.

Sasuke orders again, "Describe the dust, Karin."

"Um…well…I can feel an explosive energy from each spec of it. It's like the dust is really little microscopic bombs."

Microscopic bombs? As impressive as that probably sounds for a human to be able to create such a thing, it's just the word 'bomb' that stands out to the Uchiha prince.

'_So it really is that bomber from before.'_ The same one who also got his arm dismantled because of him. He's also the one who swore to take Itachi back. Remembering that vow just causes Sasuke's blood to boil._ 'Persistent bitch. Does he know that his bombs block our sight?'_

Then all of a sudden as Karin was examining the bombs, something catches her interest and actually causes her to go into cautious alert mode. "How is this possible? How could bombs be so small and have such a weird energy about them? Normal bombs wouldn't have such a thing!"

Weird energy? Kimimaro asks her, "What do you mean, Karin-san?"

She doesn't answer right away to that. Instead she opens her eyes out of her concentration scanning and she turns to Sasuke to ask, "Sasuke-sama, what exactly do we know about the Akatsuki?"

For some reason, that had a more arterial meaning behind that question besides just a spark of curiosity. Everyone notices that and Sasuke narrows his eyes to reply, "Your knowledge about them is as good as mine. They're just a bunch of humans who so happen to be the most bloodthirsty, merciless, monstrous gang of vampire hunters. Many say that they could outmatch the Kaguya clan in amount of vampire killings and power. Some even wonder if they're human at all."

"Well that's what I'm wondering about!" Karin proclaims. Huh? "Are the Akatsuki really human? The energy I feel from the bombs feels as if they were made by a vampire's Hidden Power."

The bombs created from a vampire's Hidden Power? But that's not possible; even though it could explain a lot. For example, like how that bomber's bombs were able to move like living animals at his command. Normal bombs are never like that, ever. Also that Akatsuki member could not possibly be a vampire. He reeked of human. The scent of his blood was most definitely human, and he was able to pass through the sun-protection barrier and survive in the sunlight when he left. However, if this Akatsuki member could be human and not be human, who's to say the rest of them are not the same? It has to be that because they wouldn't have gone through the trouble of turning Itachi into a human just for the hell of it. He would have been just like them. A human with the abilities of a weak vampire.

But still. Actual humans with vampire powers? That's still impossible despite all of that.

"But that's not what really concerns you, is it?"

The attention is turned to Suigetsu after he said that. When she heard his words, Karin looks appalled. "What the heck are you talking about? Of course it is!" she yells in protest. Too bad he knows her better than that.

He mentions, or to her, reminds, "You noticed something else troubling you before this. What was it, Karin? That's all I'm asking." Strangely enough, Suigetsu sounds…serious. From the gutsy joker who would make a comment about anything given the chance no matter what the situation, to actually hear him sounding like he knows what he's talking about or that something is too dire to make a comment about, it's too astonishing for words.

Karin most certainly did not expect him to say that. She's known him for so long and is still on the 'off' part of their on-and-off relationship. However with this show of abnormal behavior, she couldn't help the sudden pounding she feels in her chest as her red eyes are locked with his violet ones.

Turning back to her, Naruto calls, "Karin?"

Snapping back from dreamland, she spares a glance at the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki before every other pair of eyes turn their attention back to her. However now that she's back, a small bit of worry and concern appears on her features. Why is that not a good sign?

"Sasuke-sama told us that Itachi-sama and the Akatsuki were fighting but when I sensed their presence as I was scanning, they weren't fighting. They were conversing."

Everyone gasps when she said that. All but Sasuke who becomes frozen from pure utter shock at her words. She didn't just say what he thinks she said, did she? It's like his worst fear suddenly appear before him if her words are true. But instead of going into panic mode and start hyperventilating, he goes into panic mode with anger as the main course.

"Conversing about what, Karin?" he suddenly snaps. Now everyone is surprised how he just yelled at her like that. Even the tough head red-head sensor couldn't respond back to him with her own snappy comment right away.

"I don't know. I can't tell what they're talking about! Only how they're using their energies!"

Of course she can't tell what they're talking about unless she was right there with them to be in listening distance. Sasuke just barked at her without thinking and that is not good. Not good for his self-control or the situation. Unable to stand it anymore, he turns around and quickly heads for the door.

"Sasuke, wait!" Naruto yells, stopping him from jumping into the lion's den.

Oh hell no. This is _so_ not the time.

Unfortunately doing what he was commanded to do, Sasuke faces the blonde and yells, "Don't you dare order me to do anything right now, Naruto!"

And oh no is he going to be acting like some spoiled child. "But it might not be what you think it is! Maybe Itachi is telling him that he's not going back with them."

"And how do we know this for sure? For all I know, that Akatsuki member is _convincing_ Itachi to go back with him! They were able to convince him before to be a vampire hunter! Not to forget a fricken human whore! Who's to say they won't do it again?"

"But you know your brother, Sasuke! He wouldn't really try to start a new life here only to revert back to his dark days! I can tell when he finds something precious, he's not so willing to trade it for anything."

"And what makes you think he behaves like that? What makes any of us know that he would do that? I thought I knew him in the past but what did he do as soon as he killed the vampires who murdered that human? He joined Akatsuki and swore to kill every vampire in this world!"

To the others in the room, they're surprised to hear about the part of what happened in the past. From the journal they read yesterday, they found out that Itachi had a human lover before he disappeared but they didn't hear what happened after that last entry. Shisui was killed by other vampires and how exactly does Sasuke know?

Ignoring the others' presences in the room, just like how Sasuke is doing, Naruto is about ready to explode here. "Dear Kyuubi, are you listening to yourself, teme? This is your mate we're talking about here! You really think that he would just bed you and then leave you to rot? Would Itachi teme really do that? Haven't you noticed that since he's been here, he's been the happiest he's probably ever been in a really long time! The most alive if anything else. Don't you remember when he first got here? The words he spoke?"

"_I have nothing to say to you filthy vampires…I don't care if I was one long ago. That me is dead and the me that stands before you hates every single vampire in this room."_

"Then when he started to stay here with us? What did he call you when he was dying of thirst because of your dog playing chore?"

"_My little…koneko-chan."_

"He praised you! He became protective over you!"

"_You've become strong…To defeat the Kaguya clan and become the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki's protector, well done."_

"_Pardon me, but may I advise you to keep your hands to yourself and to not make any inappropriate remarks? I suggest controlling your emotions immediately."_

"When I kidnapped him that time, I talked with him and asked him what he would do when something like this were to occur. You know what he told me?"

"_You're right. It is my decision rather to go with them or not. But until then, I'm staying here with my little brother. Obviously, he can't take very good care of himself and it's my job as his older and his servant to make sure he does."_

"He is willing to stay by your side, to watch over you until the Akatsuki came here for him. Back then he wasn't too sure what to do but after everything that's happened since then, there is no doubt in my mind that he would just get up and betray us. Betray you!"

Naruto's words and his reminders of the past, they struck something inside of Sasuke more than he's ever willing to show what they've done to him in public. He just stands there and takes it all in. When he doesn't respond right away like how he did before, Naruto calms down his furry just a bit. Then he raises his hand up as if he's waiting for something to land in it. "Pass me the journal, please. Anyone."

Being the closest, Kimimaro looks back to the desk and there with the other pile of books lays Shisui's journal. Picking it up, all he does is fling it towards the jinchuriki's direction and the book effortlessly lands in his hand – as if the book was flying itself into Naruto's grasp. Once in hand, the spiky blonde starts waving that partially burnt old book around in front of the raven hair's confused face as he tells him, "Itachi brought this journal back with him, but he dropped him when I sent him after you as soon as he walked through the front door. It used to belong to Shisui." Sasuke instantly responds to that. His eyes widen in shock and there's a bit of fear in his onyx eyes as well as he stares at the book before him.

Suigetsu leans over to Karin and whispers in her ear as quietly as he can, "Do you think there's some kind of hidden story about all of this that they're not telling us?"

She responds by mouthing, 'Maybe'.

Ignoring them again, Naruto tells his protector, "I don't know who he got this from or where he found it but after reading it, I know for a fact that what is written in here is the reason how Itachi teme was able to make his decision to come back home." He shoves the book into Sasuke's chest and the prince had no choice but to catch it before it falls to the floor. Still remaining speechless, Naruto takes that opportunity to calm his fury even more so before saying, or pleading, to his protector, "It's not another one of his acting tricks. I know from the depths of my soul that Itachi teme will never leave you again. You gotta stop thinking that he will. Just take a leap of faith with him. Believe in him, Sasuke."

Silence falls upon them. Everyone remains silent and stares at Sasuke, waiting for anything to come out of his mouth after everything that was just said to him. Looking at his expression, it's like he's trying ponder through his own turmoil of emotions to determine if he should believe in Itachi like what Naruto is saying to him or not. The answer should be so easy and yet, he's afraid. He's completely and utterly terrified.

Just then, Sasuke's sharp ears pick up something. Kimimaro hears it as well and they both turn towards the door of the library right when it suddenly bursts open.

"Naruto-sama! Sasuke-sama! Trouble!"

Hinata bursts into the room, looking extremely frantic and sweat starting to appear on her delicate pale skin. Of course her running in came as a surprise many, since Naruto and Karin were so easily distracted to have noticed her, but few seconds later once she decides to take the time to breathe, her legs couldn't hold her up any more and in truth she feels a bit lightheaded. Seeing her just about to fall to the ground, Naruto reacts.

"Hinata!" In swift speed, he appears beside her and catches her before she could land on the ground. Leaning on his chest for a moment of breather, Naruto is blushing a little bit with the girl he loves against his chest but his voice is full of concern when he asks, "Hinata, are you alright?"

She is unable to answer as she's trying to get air back into her lungs – which must mean she ran as fast and as hard as she could just to find them. Then moments later, Sakura appears in a few seconds before the opened doors.

"Naruto-sama! We have a major problem!"

How is it that the human arrived before the vampire?

Suddenly one look at Sasuke and Sakura instantly loses the 'we are in trouble' vibe. Instead, she leaps over to the Uchiha's prince's side and wraps her arms around his. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun! You're looking gorgeous today as always!"

Seriously, now?

However with Sakura suddenly is so close to the prince, she notices something. She notices something…different. First looking up at Sasuke's face, she says, "Sasuke-kun, you smell…" She leans towards his clothes and takes another whiff before finishing, "You have Itachi's scent all over you."

Oh no…this is BAD!

Having an awful feeling of what will happen if she finds out the truth now, Naruto turns his attention back to the panting, exhausted, barely conscious girl in his arms and he calls out to her, "Hinata, can you hear me? What's going on? What's happening?"

Gaining a little bit of strength back, Hinata's chest noticeably rises up and down as the sweat is now dripping down her face. She tries to keep herself up standing on her own and conscious and then after a minute more while still panting, she replies, "Kakashi-san…called an audience…with the king…and queen…for a…trial…He has…Itachi-sama…in the dungeons…Locked up…for treason…"

Silence fills the room for a moment between everyone.

Something snaps inside Sasuke when he heard that.

Kakashi did what?

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**Oh no. Kakashi is so going to wish that he was never born now that Sasuke heard.**

**Now tell me the truth guys, was this chapter irritating? I basically had Sasuke doubt Itachi's feelings for him again. But can you blame him? I know that the story is long but if you think about it in the plot like wise, Itachi just came home four days ago and he is now mated with Sasuke who he claims to love with all of his heart and soul. Not to forget to mention that Sasuke was the reason for Shisui's death. The boy's afraid that he's going to be used, beaten, and broken beyond compare – no matter how much he loves the guy himself. I would probably be paranoid like him if I had to go through all of that.**

**I would also kill the guy that would lock away my mate for treason when I know that he's just doing that for his own revenge and is trying to find any excuse to get back at him.**

**But how was it? Bad? Good? Let me know because I'm dying to know! Be good and another chapter will come out! I actually want to at least finish this story sometime this year. I do not need this story to be two years old. Till next time! Bye-bye!**


	32. Liar

**A/N: Hi guys! Oh my gosh! I am so sorry for taking so long but as you can see, this chapter is kind of long. Sorry. I didn't mean to make it so long but oh well. Now I must warn you, you will go 'Yes! Go, go!', then 'really? Oh come on!', then 'oh wow, (possibly) didn't see that one coming' or 'Oh hell yeah!' at that moment, then 'Aw…T_T', and finally 'oh shit…' That's what I assume, anyway.**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. Believe me if I did, I would write it like how I am writing 'What Will You Do Now, Sasuke' – which I also need to update… But I also have a surprise for you! WYLM and this story is more than a year old and I believe I have kept you all waiting long enough. On Christmas Day, I will unleash the first chapter of the winning story idea! Then I will delete 'Which ItaSasu Story is Next' and start over for a new vote, once I'm half way done with the winning story idea. That is my Christmas present to you guys! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and please keep them coming. I love them all! Every single one of them! I accept criticism too because I want to become a better writer. Thank you and please enjoy!**

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Ch. 32: Liar

"Your majesties, I request your full permission to personally eliminate this traitor."

That is the first thing Itachi hears as soon as he comes back to consciousness and the first sense to come back to him is hearing. Though in all honesty, that was not really the most pleasant thing to hear as soon as you wake up after getting your head wacked from behind. Talking about the head, it hurts likes hell.

"Answer me this, first. What exactly has he done to deserve death so suddenly? Way I heard it, my son just came home only yesterday evening."

"The time of his arrival has nothing to do with his crimes, my lord. He could have returned earlier this morning and the events would have inevitably occurred."

At the moment, Itachi doesn't even bother with trying to know who is talking right now. His head hurts too much at the moment and he just so happens to wake up on something cold and hard. Almost like the time when he first woke up in the castle when he was captured as a human. Cold hard floors, cold temperature all around him, his muscles and body aching everywhere, and cold metals on his throat and his wrists. Just like the first time, only he can feel that his wrists are bound behind him now.

Opening his eyes to see his surroundings, his vision comes back in a fog but at least when it all started to come back the first thing he sees is three pairs of feet on the other side of metal vertical bars. Trying not to move to alert the other people here, he looks up and with the dim light of the lighted torches in this dark hallway he can see the sparkling gleam of silver hair and the stunning radiance of two porcelain skins. As the daze moment begins to cease, he sees who's in this room with him; Kakashi and his parents, both men looking upset as Mikoto looks extremely worried. By the sight of the metal bars between them and him, that must mean that he's in the dungeon and with the metal bonds on his wrists behind him and on his neck that he knows are attached to the ground, there's no doubting that theory.

However, there is something different about the metal collar around Itachi's neck. It's too big for him. Almost as if it were just an inch wider, he could smooth it off over his head. It's too loose around him, but that's the bad part about it. It only took him a second to realize by the size of the collar why exactly it's made this way. It's because it's a collar that can instantly send several thin needles through the neck without damaging or hitting any vital organs. The only way that it can be activated is if the one wearing the collar speaks a word. It's a silence collar. The needles it sends are electrifying and they prevent anymore talk to be said from the one wearing it. The needles also give the opportunity to easily rip off the head since every centimeter of the needle is razor sharp. Why does a collar that silences all who wear it exist? It's because if a vampire is lying, what better way to make sure than blood?

Blood never lies.

Before the mature vampires could continue their conversation, Itachi pushes his body to move into an upright sitting position – since that's all he can do with these chains. The only sound echoing in the this dark and lonely section of the castle became the sound of his chains clinging and clanging together, as well as the surprised but relieved gasp coming from his mother.

"Oh my baby! Are you alright?"

Looking up when she asked that, Mikoto is already kneeling before her son on the other side of the bars, looking at him with extreme motherly concern. Itachi would answer her to ease her fears but the issue is he can't. Like last time, she tries to have the warm sweet eyes and smile to ease her son's nerves but the moment her eyes notice the extra large collar around Itachi's neck, her eyes widen and her mouth becomes a straight line. Oh boy, that's not good.

Standing up and facing the one eye vampire, Mikoto's voice practically drips with venom as she asks, "You're not going to let him speak in his defense." That actually sounding more like a statement than a question. Great, now she's upset.

"He is traitor and a liar. He could easily twist and bend his words to make you believe him." Then Kakashi approaches the chained up silenced vampire and kneeling before him, he clarifies, "This way, we can properly punish him for his crimes. You knew this was coming, Itachi. Don't deny the fact that you deserve to be here, getting _exactly_ what you deserve."

From that one single eye, the hatred inside of it hasn't faded away or lessen at all since their last meeting. That shouldn't be too much of surprised, now that Itachi knows the reason why Kakashi wants to kill him so badly. He can understand where he's coming from but it also saddens him to know he could have been like that towards Sasuke, who was already torturing and punishing himself for it. Kakashi is the perfect example of what would have happened if Itachi hadn't let go of his revenge. The older prince's response is looking directly into that eye with no fear or pity.

"And you think my son is going to quietly go along with this?" Madara asks, eyeing the silver hair man with extreme dislike for threatening his family like this – his child no less.

Hearing that, Kakashi looks back at the vampire king before standing up to face him. "I don't believe he has any other choice, my lord. He knows the depths of his crime and how dire his punishment has always meant to be."

"I wasn't talking about Itachi. I was talking about his master."

Right after he said that, fire travels right across the ground. With the speed of a little mouse scurrying on the stone floor, it circles around the area where Kakashi stands. Then in a blink of an eye, the fire rises up and surrounds the one eye man, taking the shape of his own individual, skinny cage. Both Kakashi and Itachi are definitely surprised to suddenly see this and possibly even more so when both turn to see Sasuke behind the silver man at least a cell away, and man does he look more than just pissed off as all hell. Actually the way he looks, he could be mistaken for the God of Hell right now. If it were only possible, fire could be pouring out of his eyes and breathing out of his mouth – as well as surround him from behind to look like the very devil of hell. Instead, his eyes are blood red, pouring out all his anger and hatred towards his formal teacher as he glares more than just daggers and swords at him; his fangs are extended with his teeth gritted tightly together, and a red glow surrounds his entire body. To be using fire, he must have lightning fast speed to get from the library to the dungeons in possibly less than thirty seconds.

"Kakashi…" he growls, low and dangerous. Then he screams, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't burn you where you stand!" He slams his fist against the dungeon cell beside him and by his touch, the metal melts away and turns into hot goo as it drips down to the ground. That explains the red body glow.

Itachi's eyes are wide to see his little brother so angry and behaving as such. This is worse than the last time they encountered the silver hair vampire. Kakashi, on the other hand, is not too terribly surprised to see this reaction. He just greets, "Sasuke, so glad you could join us."

Yeah right. He was hoping he could convince the King and Queen to either sentence Itachi's death or lock him away forever without Sasuke's knowledge. At least that way, the younger prince wouldn't be able to do a thing to _save_ his little servant once he found out.

From the end of the dungeon hallway, Naruto appears but he stops at the door as a way to not disturb the scene he now sees happening before him. Then Sakura appears with Hinata in her arms and she sets her down as soon as they arrive to see the same horrifying sight of their prince's anger. Kimimaro, Juugo, Karin, and Suigetsu have yet to arrive; due to the fact that three of them are humans and Kimimaro can't carry all of them in order to get to the dungeon with his vampire speed. In the mean time, the three that are here are surprised, amazed, and scared out of their minds to see the full hell-hot burning rage of Uchiha Sasuke. Even from behind, the prince looks like a beautiful and dangerous demon that could easily kill you in less than a blink of an eye if you even speak a syllable against him.

Growling at the guy's irritating stoic attitude he's trying to pull here, Sasuke yells at him again, "You are sick in the head, Kakashi! Release him, immediately!"

"You better do as he says, Kakashi," Madara tells him as a matter of fact. With Mikoto by his side again, the king reminds, "Technically, you'd be breaking the vampire laws if you imprison Itachi like this. If a servant vampire does something wrong, then yes, he is to be trialed but the person who has the right to punish him is his master. This case, if my son has truly done something wrong, Sasuke is the one who gets to 'permanently eliminate' him, as you claim he deserves."

Turning back to Madara, Kakashi looks like a lawyer ready to face the judge with his proclaim. "I know the laws but do not be fooled. Itachi is no longer a vampire servant."

When he said that, both brothers' eyes widen – one in surprise that he figured that out and one in surprise of realization. Since Itachi can see Sasuke and Sasuke could see Itachi, they both look at each other from the corner of their eyes and the older prince looks at his little brother with questioning eyes. Regaining his composure, Sasuke ever so slightly shakes his head as a way of saying, 'don't say a word.'

Kakashi explains further, "The only way he's been missing since yesterday was if he made the decision on his own to leave."

Like the opponent lawyer, Sasuke calms down just a little bit before saying "There have been many cases before of servant vampires leaving their masters." The attention is turned to him as he approaches Kakashi in his fiery cage to add, "That's why we have the twenty-four hour time limit. If the vampire returns to his master within that time limit, then he will only receive minor punishment _from_ his master for leaving against his orders. If not, he might be killed by his master if he is proven guilty in a fair trial."

Again with the trial. Everything has to be done through a damn trial. As Madara and Mikoto look at their younger son in pride, Kakashi is really close to just being fed up with this kid. Before, he was irritated that the kid would protect the traitor from his wrath but knowing in the depths of his soul that this very vampire freed his servant when he knew the consequences of doing so, it just disgusts him. Oh how far his student has fallen.

Finally, he gives in, "You want a trial so bad, let's have it."

Not dropping his guard for only a minute, Sasuke orders, "Take off his collar so he may speak."

"No need. I'll speak for him."

What? As Sasuke is confused by Kakashi's claim, Itachi has other thoughts running through his head. How exactly is Kakashi going to speak for him when he doesn't even know everything? Did he so happen to hear the conversation between Itachi and Deidara? If he did, then how exactly is he going to speak against the Uchiha prince?

"Lower your fire and I'll explain."

Sasuke is reluctant to do so. Looking at his older brother for some kind of advice on what he should do, Itachi nods. He's curious as to what his first bite has to say. Unwillingly, Sasuke calms down completely and allows his fire to cease. Good boy.

Right then, the others arrive right where Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata are. The humans are a bit out of breath but seeing the situation and after just seeing Sasuke release Kakashi from his fire cage, Suigetsu whispers to the others, "What did we miss?"

Replying just as quietly, Hinata says, "They're having a trial to determine Itachi-sama's fate after he ran away yesterday."

That confused the white hair human. "But doesn't that only apply to vampire servants? Itachi is free from Sasuke's control." Sakura and Hinata did not expect to hear that – even though they just heard the conversation before them, they weren't so sure. But oh right. They didn't know about Itachi actually being a free vampire.

Both of them ask, "What?"

"That's why I'm wondering what Sasuke is planning," Naruto speaks out softly for the others to hear. "He told his brother not to say a thing about that. Not it would matter too much anyway. Kakashi put a silence collar on Itachi teme's neck."

Hearing that brought the air of curiosity to surround their little group. Why would Sasuke want to keep the fact of Itachi being free a secret? Though, Naruto has a good idea. If everyone finds out about Itachi and Sasuke being mated at this situation, that's not going to help the wrath of Kakashi's rage at all. But what's scarier? Sasuke's rage or Kakashi's?

Turning around halfway to the King and Queen as a way to include Sasuke in this 'trail' as well, Kakashi says to them both, "Madara-sama, Mikoto-sama, if I may, I will now speak the other reasons as to why I believe this vampire should be charged and killed for treason."

Silently, Sasuke moves a little closer to the dungeon cell and takes a few steps back away to avoid Kakashi whiffing his scent. Then he grabs one of the bars. Noticing this, Itachi sidely looks up at his little brother's hand and at his face. In a way, it's almost like Sasuke is either trying to assure him that Kakashi will not win or it's like his indication of comforting his lover since he's behind bars. It made the older prince wanna smile at his love but he can't because he cannot afford such a luxury right now and Sasuke is keeping his eyes at the silver hair enemy before him.

Nodding in approval, Madara tells Kakashi, "Go on."

"This vampire was conspiracy with the enemy to overthrow our kingdom and kill us all three days from now."

Both Uchiha brothers did not expect him to say that all. Sasuke is surprised to be hearing this for the first time while Itachi is caught off guard that Kakashi knows this. So he did overhear the conversation between Deidara and him? If that's the case then not only does he know about what was the original plan but he should also know that Itachi declined Deidara's offer to leave.

When Madara and Mikoto hear this, the king raises a brow and lets out, "Oh?"

"Yes," Kakashi nods. "This morning, I smelled something most strange in the air and when I looked out the window to investigate the origin of the strange smell, I instead see this murderer talking to the very Akatsuki member who was his accomplice when they first attacked our home."

Sasuke this time took a side look at his brother. He wanted to communicate through his eyes of asking if what the delusional one-eye vampire is saying is true but Itachi isn't looking at him. His eyes are glued to the white hair vampire and he looks pretty cautious to what else Kakashi might have to say in his place. A little too cautious for Sasuke's liking.

"So you saw them talking?" Madara asks, like he's asking 'and what's your point?' "What were they talking about that would make you assertively believe Itachi would betray us?"

"He did it the first time. What would change his mind now? Itachi is a ruthless, merciless killer with no compassion for his own kind or even has a heart to care. He is not the honorable respectable prince you used to know, or believe to still know." Sasuke grips the bar a little tighter.

Madara resists the urge to just pinch the bridge of his nose and he especially resists the yearning to just slap this vampire before him. As tragically as he is, he is so blind. This time Mikoto asks him, "Kakashi-kun, it's understandable that you still don't trust him after everything that's happened and I know that it's only been a few days but I have seen signs that my son has changed. He has a much lighter expression than he did before and, thank Kyuubi, he's taking care of himself by eating."

"And from where we're standing, he's taking care of his little brother as well," the vampire king decides to also add. Only at that part were the two princes' caught off guard. What their mother said were pretty obvious signs but the last parts should still be secrets. Unless… They know about the little closet incident and possibly the…Oh Kyuubi….

If only this wasn't the time to be doing so, both Itachi and Sasuke would have madly blush and try to hide themselves in their embarrassment. Their parents, or just the king, know all.

Once again, Kakashi is still not convinced. "They're fakes. All of them. Itachi's specialty as a vampire hunter is using lies and deceit to trick his victims. He makes them lower their guard and at the perfect moment, he strikes. You of all people should understand this. It is in his files. He could easily fake kindness, goodness, and love."

When he said those words, they struck Sasuke deep. His words are heavy and they echo through the young prince's mind like a boulder fallen into the darkest, deepest of holes and banging against the walls as it falls. The reason why it feels like that is because there's truth behind them and the denial part of Sasuke's mind believes those words. His eyes are wide with realization and his mouth is a straight line. There's truth in Kakashi's words because it _was_ written in Itachi's file. Sasuke read through some of it at the trial and all of it when the Itachi was unconscious from the vampire venom. His hand that was gripping the metal bar so hard loosens and then collapses to his side, leaving a grip mark on the bars that is just as thin as a strand of hair. Itachi notice that this time and the others behind them gasp very silently when they suddenly see Sasuke's dejected posture.

Oh no. Not now! Of all the times, don't start doubting now!

The older prince's eyes widen in shock of Sasuke's retracting hand and he flinched at the possible meaning as to why Sasuke retracted that hand. Oh how he wanted to move closer to him to convince his little brother otherwise but he can't. Not with the chains keeping him in place. Due to the noise he made when he moved, Kakashi takes a peak at him and he sees how the older Uchiha prince is looking at the boy behind him. He looks too and he sees Sasuke looking down at the side of the ground and his eyes look like he's realizing things and he's putting the pieces of the dreadful puzzle together in his head. Seeing that ignorant expression made Kakashi want to scorn at him but maybe now is as good as any opportunity to bring Sasuke back to his side.

"You're a fool, Sasuke, to believe he could change," he says to him. Sasuke looks up at him and Kakashi continues, "Once a vampire hunter, always a vampire hunter. I told you that before, didn't I? So learn it now before you get hurt."

But he's already hurting. He won't show it in front of his teacher but he can feel his heart aching inside his chest for the assumptions and theories building in his mind as quickly as he can run on fire-mood. With each one created, an arrow struck him fast and deep within his flesh, tearing him apart limb from limb. If he would allow himself, he would be hyperventilating right now and with each breathe would make the pain worst as it pulses through his body like an agitated heartbeat. He won't show it. He would never show it in public but his hearing is starting to go deaf on him. He can't even hear the crinkling of the fire or the silent sounds of the non-feeling wind gliding through the hallways of this dungeon. The pain is starting to intensify and now he can no longer feel the ice-cold temperature of this dreary cell. He doesn't feel like he's standing anymore. Only by his own will power is he remaining to do so instead of collapsing on his knees right now. But soon, he won't be able to control that anymore. He will lose it and when it does, that is when he will allow every emotion inside of him to break loose and run amuck. He will feel the extreme mental pain of betrayal, anger, frustration, disgust, and above all – great sorrow. Naruto, his parents, and Itachi can see all of this; no matter how dormant he tries to be about them. Naruto is actually praying to the vampire god inside of him to not let what he fears to happen, Mikoto and Madara are tense as they watch their youngest son with vigilance incase anything drastic happens; and finally Itachi, he's had enough.

"I would never-"

_Spluch_

All attention is turned to him in a heartbeat when they heard those two things. His family widens their eyes and silently, for the men at least, gasp at the sight they see and the others feel dread and worry when they heard that sound and/or smell the blood that comes after it. The needles were released from Itachi's collar and they pierce right through his throat. Just like how it was designed to do, it does not struck any vital parts and now he really can't speak to save himself. Possible the only thing that can is the blood leaking out through the small openings between the needles and flesh.

Kakashi, being the only one who can careless about what just happened, lets out, "Oh?" He approaches his prisoner again and this time when he kneels before the Uchiha and they look at each other, Itachi has anger in his eyes. Strong, intense anger that he would usually never have unless he's really crossed. Like that scares Kakashi. "You would never what, exactly? What does your blood have to say for you?" Reaching his hand out towards the wound, Kakashi's finger smoothes across the drench skin and now it's covered in blood. Itachi watches him with caution as he retracts his hand and uses his other to lower his mask and lick the blood right off. Everyone watches and waits as Kakashi's one eye glows red from the taste of blood and he lets out a soft sign of contentment from the taste of blood rolling off his tongue and the small bit of memories he wanted to see play in his mind. They all wait on him as he takes the moment to take in everything that he sees before looking directly at Itachi in the eye as soon as he was done. Putting his mask back on over his mouth, he asks, "A one-sided mission if you get captured? 'You will finally be free'? If life is truly so terrible for you, you should have just come home and I would gladly have put you out of your misery myself. What could be so terrible that you'd lower yourself to a human whore?"

Itachi did not back down. But he is curious to wonder if Kakashi took a bit of his blood, why didn't he look at the 'why' portion of his actions. He did, after all, took only a small amount and that could only give him so little information. So he ignored the 'why' and only accepted the 'what'. What exactly is Kakashi trying to prove by getting Itachi convicted?

"You know he can't speak now."

The attention turns to the speaker when that was heard and they all turn towards Sasuke. Though when they look at him, his expression is different compared to how it was before. Completely. His face has become totally relaxed. It's calm but also very scary than his fire-furious look. His eyes are dark, cold, and empty. There are no emotions visible on his face anymore. The only simpler way to describe how he looks is by saying he looks like his brother. Expressionless, clear of any compassion or mercy. Just cruel blunt words and actions that will some come later. Even Kakashi right now is taken back and confused by the boy's sudden mood transformation. Madara puts his arm around his mate just in case something drastic happens.

Sasuke approaches his two childhood mentors and before Kakashi had the chance to move, the Uchiha prince grabs his shoulder and pushes him out of the way. The strength and force he used made the silver haired man glide in the air with only an inch apart between him and the ground and he crashes into the wall. When the _crash_ sound is heard, Hinata, who had moved to Naruto's side, cringes and grips onto his arm. He holds her hand on his arm to comfort her, or to rather comfort himself. Kimimaro and Karin even reached for their lover's, or ex-lover's, hand to just have something to hold onto. They both hold back in response. Regardless that the off-stage Suigetsu is supposed to be on with Karin, him, and Juugo as well, want something to hold onto right now. Sakura has nothing for her to hold on to and thus just holds her hands tightly in front of her chest. She always knew that her fiancé was terrifying but this is the first time that her blood has ran cold from only being such a far distance away from him. First time for everyone, in fact.

Kneeling before him this time, Itachi would like to show that he's not afraid even of his little brother but that might be debatable now that his baby brother's onyx black eyes pierce right through his very soul and spirit like how his sword would have stabbed through any unfortunate prey. For once in Itachi's life, he feels like the prey.

Reaching his hand through the bars, the older prince stays very still as Sasuke speaks, "There is only thing I want from you now, hunter." Even his voice sounds brutal and malicious but when he called Itachi 'hunter', now is the time to worry.

Sasuke reaches as far as to press his entire hand against Itachi's neck. Against the warmth of the blood, Itachi can feel the cold touch of his brother's. Not even the dungeon's floors or metals have felt as cold as his hand does now. It feels like the hand of a dead body and it sends shivers down Itachi's spin – very small shivers but numerous amounts.

As if they're all standing on the edge of the tallest mountain in the world, everyone watches in silence, some not even breathing to not disturb the heart-pounding scene, as Sasuke retracts his hand and he now stares at his blood covered palm. He looks intently at the blood; analyzing it's glittering light from the torches and feeling its warmth and texture against his skin. Funny how he's been feeding on this blood for days now and only now will he use the ability every vampire has to extract the truth once and for all. Humans would think that if he's been consuming his brother's blood for so long, doesn't he already have the knowledge to know that Itachi would never betray him and love him forever and ever? But memories are only good when they're first consumed. It's just like living through those moments your self. You experience through them once but when it comes time to try and remember those moments, it's fuzzy and then they just disappear from your mind like they never existed in the first place. That's exactly how it's like.

Slowly to everyone, Sasuke raises the hand to his mouth and he begins to lick the blood and all of the memories that come with it. He wanted to but he does not groan. His eyes fade to red and he licks the blood off his skin from between his fingers, his palm, and some of the drips that travel down his arm. Would it be so wrong with Itachi to think that as he watches his mate lick his blood, he looked so beautiful and just so delectable himself doing that? Sasuke takes his time, doesn't allow any emotion to appear on his face yet, and his only focus is the blood. When the blood was gone, he lets his fingertips travel from his cheekbone down to his lips and then his chin. His eyes still remain close and he appears to be watching the memories in his head right now as the seconds roll by. One by one, he sees them all; the memories he wants to see and the truths he wants to hear.

Then he opens his eyes, only to look directly into Itachi's again. To say he wasn't scared then by those eyes would have been a lie.

Suddenly grabbing the bars, Sasuke pulls himself close to the bars and to Itachi, causing many to flinch at the sound of the bars crying from the force of the younger vampire's hit, and he instructs, "Move your head if you can. You came back to kill the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, correct?" Almost hesitantly, Itachi slightly nods his head – not wanting the needles to harm his neck any further. Next question.

"And if you should fail, you were to gather any information you can find about our security and weaknesses."

Nod.

"So this entire time, you were really a spy for your occult to kill us all; father, mother, Naruto, me, everyone?"

Slowly but surely, nod.

That's all Sasuke wanted to know. He doesn't ask any more questions. He stares at his brother for a moment longer, his eyes hard and calculating again. Then he pulls his hands back and looks down at the side at the ground. thinking. Itachi watches him, panic starting to appear in his chest, as he watches Sasuke grit his teeth together in a tight grip and his bangs hiding away any emotion that could possibly be revealed in his eyes. He could not see it and suddenly, Sasuke's fist bangs against his cage again and Itachi flinches back – many others jump.

"Fuck everything to hell!" Sasuke yells. Pushing himself up, he gets up and walking away from Itachi's cell.

From Itachi.

'_Sasuke!'_ the older brother wanted to call out to stop him.

_WACK_

_CRACK_

But what he sees next not only shocks him completely, but shocks everyone as well.

Sasuke punched Kakashi right across the face and from the sound of it, he hit him pretty damn hard. Hard enough to break a vampire's jaw. Not even giving the masked man any time to defend himself, Sasuke uses his lightning fast speed to kick him right in the stomach, then upper cuts his chin, and then grab the back of his head to swiftly slam his head against the hard pavement. The others watch in gasping shock at the results of what their youngest prince just did. The force of the kick not only hit Kakashi but it also slammed him against the wall again and created a crater in the wall, and a deep one in the ground when his head was forced down on it. In no time at all, the smell of Kakashi's blood overpowers the smell of Itachi's; which the wound is starting to heal now that he's perfectly frozen at the sight of what he just saw before him. Through estimation, Kakashi probably has several broken bones and internal bleeding in multiple places inside his body right now. To be more precise, every rib inside of him is either broken or shattered, his spine is cracked from the bottom up, his jaw is broken completely on one side, and his head is cracked open against the pavement. Everyone is shocked and too stunned to say anything, which might be good thing since Sasuke now looks more pissed off than anything. His eyes are bleeding red again, his teeth are extended fully, a growl rumbles from his chest, and sparks of fire and lighting appear all around his body. Walking around Kakashi's body, he soon stands over it and then he gets on his knees so he could grab his teacher's head by the chin and the back of the head – which is already starting to heal thanks to his vampiric powers. Lifting the head up, the younger prince shows no mercy as he suddenly jerks the head and breaks Kakashi's neck.

_CRACK!_

Hinata gasps the loudest out of everyone and she instantly hides her face away from the scene to Naruto's chest. He holds her to hide here away from the horrifying sight. In all honestly, he wants to look away too. He doesn't want to watch Sasuke beat the living shit out of his teacher, or even kill him as the prince grabs the masked vampire by the hair.

"You miserable, lying fuck," he growls, in a voice not at all like his normal one. "How dare you lie through your damn teeth to me and my family about my brother's innocence! You have no right whatsoever to do that when he wasn't even the one who killed Obito! You're pathetic and the worst piece of shit to have ever been born on this fuckin planet! All you do is complain, mop, and demand for some unreasonable justice. It's god damn depressing! I should just kill you right now to save us all the headache you bring every day for the past years but that would be exactly what you want isn't it? Perhaps I should just give it to you so you can rot in hell like you've always wanted." Raising his other hand, it becomes very similar to the attack Kakashi was going to use on Itachi in the garden. Lightning and fire surround his hand until they twist and form together into a sharp point like a sword. The lightning cries through the dark quiet hallways and the fire's heat can even be felt through the bars of Itachi's cell. Not even a moment passes before Sasuke raises his hand up higher for better momentum and then starts thrusting it down in for the kill. No one was given the chance to come back to their senses from the shock of seeing Sasuke going on a rampage from his own rage and no one was given the chance to call out for him to stop.

Only one person took that half moment to move.

Before Sasuke's attack could hit Kakashi's broken neck, someone pushes the white hair vampire's head back down to the pavement and at the same time grabs the younger prince's wrist to stop him. That person is Madara. His son didn't expect for him to appear when his attack was stopped, but that doesn't stop him from struggling when the vampire king pushes him away from his prey and still keeps a firm grip on his wrist even after the attack faded away.

"Sasuke, control yourself," his father orders.

But he barks back, "Give me one god damn good reason why I should! He wants to die so fuckin bad, I'll gladly do it for him now!"

Not too kindly that the boy swore to him of all people, Madara tells him more sternly and a little harsher, "Killing him won't do you any good. It'll just make you just as bad as him or any wretched vampire who kills on a rampage. He's not worth it!"

Sasuke wanted to argue back of what Madara would do if Mikoto was the one behind bars and someone was trying to smear her good name in front of him, and he nearly believed it. However, Madara shoves his wrist away with enough force to cause his son to turn around back to Itachi's cell. The moment Sasuke set eyes back on his brother, it was like a splash of cold water hits his face dead on. He becomes stunned and almost instantly cooled by the beseeching satin eyes looking at him. Due to the incapability of speaking, Itachi shakes his head and mouths _no_ to him. Sasuke is confused as to why his brother/mate is asking him to stop when Kakashi is the one who deserves to die for the stupidity of his actions, but he can't move. He can't look away from Itachi. At least this small bit of delay is enough for Madara to tell him one more thing.

Placing his hand on the boy's shoulder, he says, "The next time you want to kill someone, clear your mind and your heart first. Then decide if he's better off dead for you or for everyone else? You need to stop letting your emotions control you. You need to think before you act, my son. And death is a kinder fate than living." As his hand slides away, Sasuke is left to ponder his father's words for a bit. He takes in those words and lets them sink and burn into him. For his pride and stubbornness, he would've instantly rejected those words and do what he normally would do – growl like an enrage animal, destroy something with his fists, and walk away. But the longer he stares at his brother, the cooler his fury becomes. His eyes fades back to onyx black, his teeth shrunk back to normal size, and his face calms down from the brink of monstrosity. Seeing him back to his senses, Itachi gives him a soft and greatly relieved smile.

Oh Kyuubi, what almost just happened?

Not caring who's watching or what his actions could indicate, Sasuke rushes to the cell to kneel down before his brother again and both hands reach through the bars to cup his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he whispers so softly to him, it was almost inaudible for the others to hear. If it weren't for those bars and chains, Sasuke would plead with his body for comfort and Itachi would gladly give it for him. He was scared too, after all. "I'm so sorry."

'_He's always apologizing.'_ Itachi turns his head to one of Sasuke's palm and gently he kisses it. That's all he can do at the moment. That and smile again at his love while he leans into the warm touch. Sasuke, in return from the tenderness of his kiss and smile, returns the favor with a soft smile of his own.

Seeing such a scene, and so up close, Mikoto melts inside from the joy and happiness of her sons being so close once again. And now, they're truly inseparable. The others at the end of the hallway also started to breathe a lot easier. Hinata even let out a big sigh before relaxing in Naruto's warm hold around her. He didn't mind it at all to return the affection. Karin and Suigetsu started to lightly chuckle at only how incredibly frightening that was to then everything being alright again. But they also looked at each other for a moment and Karin started to smile herself before Suigetsu joined her in their own private moment. Kimimaro places a hand on his non-beating heart in relief and then Juugo squeezes his hand again to surely assure that everything is fine now. The worst is over, and Kimimaro couldn't agree more when they silently spoke that little conversation. Sakura, as dense as a thick brick, relaxes her nerves as well at how her soon to be mate nearly lost it but is now back to normal.

Poor girl, she has no idea that she is too late.

However Madara puts his attention to Kakashi. Lifting up his head with care and grace, he forces the head and neck to correctly form itself to its rightful position. The healing vampire responds to the most appreciated gesture by coughing and wheezing to prove that he can breathe again as his bones begin to form back to heal. Still kneeling beside him, the vampire king tells him, "This trial is over. Good attempt, but better luck next time with some real solid evidence. Unless you have something to add, my son is innocent."

Then with a snap of his fingers, the needles in Itachi's collar instantly retracts back and both the collar and the chains on his wrists break into two's as they fall to the ground. The two brothers are taken off guard by that action but realizing that Itachi is free of his bonds and his silence collar, they didn't waste another moment to grasp each other's hands and lean their foreheads together as best as they could through the thick bars that keep them too far apart to kiss. If the bars were thinner, they probably would have kissed and as Itachi's wound heals, Sasuke would lick the excess blood away and then offer his hand for his brother to drink for now until they can find some real food. But at the moment, they just want to live in the moment of being together after another trial to prove their love and faith to the other.

Madara reminds Kakashi this time, "If it were up to me, I would banish you at once for what you tried to do but by law, your creator has more authority than the king to banish you from his home. Itachi is too kind for that so I will leave you with this warning. If you ever try to endanger my family again, I will not hesitate to dye my hands with your blood."

Thanks to the king's help and his swift healing ability, Kakashi was able to move once again. His throat is burning for blood but he can fulfill that later. As he lifts himself up from the ground, he says to the king, "Say what you want and do what you want with him. There's just one thing now I want to confirm with." As fast as he could, he gets up, grasps Sasuke's shoulder, and by the time both brother's feel/see this, Sasuke is forced away from Itachi and he feels the crushing force of his back against the wall and Kakashi's death grip on his shoulder. He winced from that hit but when he looks at his attacker, Kakashi's one blood red eye, full of hatred and anger, is now directed to him. The others watch with shock and/or fear when they see how angry Kakashi is at his formal pupil now but both Madara and Sasuke stand their ground and wait for any moment to when and, not so likely, if the white hair will harm the young prince. "I smelled your scent, Sasuke. You mated with this man?"

Oh shit.

"I thought I was only imagining it on Itachi from all the blood he consumed from you but did you?"

Sasuke tensed up when he heard that but his mentor's words did not make him back down. Not in the slightest. "Yeah, and what of it?"

To assume would make one angry but to actually hear the words was unspeakable. "Are you insane, Sasuke? How could you just give yourself to _him_? A murderer and a traitor!"

Now many of the others became worried for Sasuke's safety since he's in the grip of possibly now a hysterical vampire but the prince can take care of himself. It's just a matter of how far Kakashi will go to express his anger.

Though in all honesty, Sasuke's only getting more irritated. "What I do and who I mate is none of your god damn concern! I don't need your blessings or your approval!"

"Do you not understand the pernicious deed you have committed mating with him!"

"Why? Because he was a vampire hunter or because he's my brother?" Then he pushes Kakashi off of him, his eyes haven't changed color yet nor his teeth extended. He just looks angry. How dare Kakashi of all people tell him how repugnant his mating may be! "You don't get to tell me what to do or how I live my life. All you are to me is someone who I just learned sword fighting from! You're not my father! You're not my brother, and you suck at being a mentor! What am I learning from you exactly? Huh? How to wish for the absolute impossible? Wondering what could have been if this or that happened instead? Punishing myself over and over again for things I couldn't control, and regretting every single day of my damn life because I lost the one thing more important to me than my own race? I already lived like that for twenty years and I hated it every bit of it! Why can't you just fuckin move on?" Then he shoves the vampire again and this time hard enough to slam him across the hallway to bang his back against the metal bars. Itachi moved back when he saw that but no one says anything as they all watch Kakashi on what he's going to do now.

At the moment, he just sits there on the ground. His eyes not visible for anyone to see or know what he's feeling or thinking this very minute. Sasuke told him some pretty personal stuff. Maybe some of it affected him. Who knows? However, some of those things were what a lot of people wanted to tell Kakashi but were too scared to do it. They were just all giving him the baby treatment and probably thought that time would heal his wounds. How wrong they were. Sometimes to start the healing process, you need to hurt them a little more first.

"This is what you want?" he finally speaks.

He still doesn't look up but Sasuke doesn't wait for him to do so. "Yes." His answer won't change if he looks into Kakashi's eye.

"Then…" With vampire like speed, he gets up from across the hallway and stands before the prince again. He looks down upon the boy, who did not flinch when he suddenly sees Kakashi in front of him, and he says with a tone of caveat and danger, like he's telling some dark tale about some forbidden place full of monsters and death, "live the rest of your existence with this man. Do whatever you want but I warn you. When he forsakes you, don't come crying to me when you realize your mistake. The funny thing about time and the choices we make is that you can never reverse back to do what's been done. That much I know."

Then finally, he turns away from the prince and walks down the hallway towards the exit. Of course when Naruto and the others see him coming, both Kimimaro and him acted fast to push the others to the side to get out of sight and to hide behind the door when Kakashi comes out. The Uchiha family, however, keep their eyes on Kakashi as he walks away, hands clench at his side and a posture strong and angry. Sasuke didn't let him get too far.

"I suppose you should. How's Iruka, by the way?"

Right after he asked that, Kakashi stops dead in his tracks of walking. That was curious, for Itachi anyway. He never heard that name before now. Who's Iruka?

When the white haired vampire didn't respond, answering his first question, Sasuke asks another question. "When was the last time contacted with your son?"

Kakashi…had a son?

The news is surprising itself, because Sasuke and Naruto never mentioned him having a son with Obito, but to hear that there was an offspring is not.

When Kakashi didn't respond to any of those questions and after a long moment of silence, he starts walking again to leave. The Uchiha watch him leave again and Sasuke looks like he's trying to stand his ground but anyone looking at him could tell instantly he's affected the most of what just happened. Itachi didn't wait till Kakashi left and he looks at Sasuke to see the expression on his face. He's looking down, gritting his teeth together, and there's so much emotional turmoil going on inside of him that can be seen through his eyes. That's when he decides to get out of this prison.

_Chink_

His family turns to see him breaking the lock on the iron gates and pushing it open; his eyes instantly locked with Sasuke's. As soon as he got out to approach his mate, Mikoto instantly becomes the first to jump on him and wrap her arms around him instead. He had to take a few steps back because of her sudden 'attack'. Seeing that, Sasuke looks away. He knows what's coming. After a tight squeeze, their mother pulls away and tells her eldest son, "I'm so glad you're safe, sweetheart. Don't ever scare your mother like that again. A fair warning would have been nice."

Sure, like he knew what was going to happened that would've led to all of this drama. Leave to his parents to suddenly turn the serious moment into 'I want to spoil my children rotten' moment.

Before Itachi had a chance to say anything, he feels a hand on his shoulder and he looks up to see Madara smiling approvingly at him. "You have done well, my son. But next time, don't scare your mother like that. You know how she gets when she's overly excited."

And of course father joins in on the happy moment.

"Dear!" Mikoto calls making it sound like 'don't say that! It's embarrassing'. Madara slides his hand off Itachi and laughs at how adorable she looks when she's angry. Itachi looks away. He places his attention on his brother/mate who slightly jolted when he looks back up to see at Itachi looking at him with such tenderness and understanding in his eyes.

Itachi steps away from his parents and towards his little brother. "Sasuke, are you…" But he didn't get to finish.

_Pow_

Both Mikoto and Madara gasp and look at their sons to see Itachi facing one direction because of the hit to his cheek and Sasuke being the one to give it to him. He was surprised to have been punched like that but when he looks back, he sees Sasuke glaring at him and his body shaking. He knows what he's angry about and he thinks he probably deserves it too. He grasps Sasuke's wrist and pulls him into his chest and holds him there. This threw him off but being in his older brother's arms causes the younger Uchiha to relax and then hug him back, clinging to him desperately and gripping the shirt on Itachi's back. What he's holding right now is something he thought he was close to losing – half of the reason because he almost agreed to let it go.

"Forgive me, Sasuke. I didn't mean for you to go through that," Itachi apologizes.

But all Sasuke tells him is, "Just shut up already." In short, 'just shut up and hold me'. Their parents just smile and silently sigh at the sight of their children finally together through the sweet bonds of love.

When Kakashi walks pass the door, he stops walking again. He knows whose there. He can still smell their scents as clear as if they were standing right next to him. They haven't been gone from the spot he's standing at now for long. He asks them, "Enjoyed the show?" Those that are couples hold their love ones close from the harsh tone of Kakashi's voice. He is one of the people most definitely a lot of people do not wish to be alone with when he's upset. "You're fools. All of you. Everything will look so perfect but when the time comes, he'll just leave again."

But then right when he was about to leave again, someone asks him, "You were hurt too, weren't you?" Looking over his shoulder, Naruto is the one who asked him that question. He's out of the shadows, Hinata no longer in his arms, and he's facing the one-eyed vampire on his own. Those watching in darkness, that's all they're doing. Watching, waiting, and hoping that the worst doesn't happen between those two with this bold move the Kyuubi Jinchuriki is making here. "When Itachi left, you felt the pain of the betrayal just as agonizingly as his family. That's what you can't let go, isn't it?"

Hearing that made Kakashi greatly angry to hear. "Forgive my rudeness, my god. But you are delusional. Might I remind you that if it weren't for him, Obito would still be alive!" His voice was only raised. Not loud enough to disrupt the 'happy' family moment he left in the other hallway.

Despite the harshness of his voice, Naruto is not afraid. "But you would never have met Obito if he didn't leave, would you?" That shocked Kakashi even more than when he figured out Sasuke and Itachi mated. There is truth in Naruto's words and after the blonde said that, he approaches the vampire and grasps his hand as he says, "I know that you care about Sasuke. You care about him a lot and you care for Itachi just as much. You're just having a hard time remembering how."

This…is…ridiculous!

Pulling his hand away, Kakashi tells him, "That guy will never change. Just watch. You will see." Then he turns back into the hallway to look at the happy couple. There, he sees Sasuke in the middle of licking away Itachi's dried blood off the skin of his neck and chest. He'd just finish and he looks back up at his older brother's face, his hand reaching up to his face, and then bringing him closer as he moves up to capture those lips in a desperate, needy kiss. Itachi returns the affection without hesitation. When Kakashi sees this, he 'che's and then turns around to leave for real. All Naruto could do is watch him in his own personal disappointment and pity. It'll take a lot more to reach that vampire's battered heart and maybe a lot more time as well.

"I won't allow this."

That's not good.

Turning around towards the darkness, Naruto doesn't need x-ray vision or night vision to know that the person who said that was Sakura and that she's really pissed off now.

"Sakura-san!" Hinata tries to call to her protector, but she can't stop a vampire as she pushes herself off the wall and walks around the door to storm into that hallway.

"Don't go in!" But Naruto stops her right before she does.

As ordered, Sakura's feet are then glued to the floor and no matter how hard she tries, she can't move them. On instincts, she turns to the one who stopped her and her eyes are bleeding red with rage – very much like how Sasuke's was earlier. "Naruto-sama, don't you dare stop me! This isn't fair! He was supposed to mate with me! I'm the fiancé!"

However he tells her, "That is only an agreement between two vampire families. That is not how mating works. It's a lot more than that. You would know if you were ever truly in love." Sakura wasn't the only one who became shocked by his words. Those listening were too. But just like his protector, Naruto doesn't back down. He remains strong, determined, and true to his words even when Sakura's eyes appear to glow a brighter red and her fangs extend a little loner as her anger is now directed at him.

"How dare you…" she growls like a ferocious animal. She approaches him with thoughts of how to make this vampire before her scream and wail for insulting her, despite the fact that he is her god.

But using his ability again, he commands, "Go, Sakura!" She stops dead in her tracks again, stunned by his words. He pushes it. "I don't want you to lay a finger on Sasuke or his mate. Just leave this place before you make a bigger fool of yourself."

Sakura is just flabbergasted. This vampire before her as not only insulted her once but twice now. How dare he tell her that she doesn't know a thing about love when she's been infatuated with Sasuke since she met him! How dare he call her a fool! Who exactly does he think he is? He's Kyuubi's host and that is why when he orders her to leave, she has no choice but to do so, quietly. Naruto can tell just by looking into her ruby red eyes that she wants to tear him to shreds and eat his heart like a true wild vampire. He's not afraid of her and as she begins to walk around him to leave, she glares at him for as long as she can until her neck is unable to completely turn. Since it's against her will, Sakura walks away. But if she has to leave, then so does Hinata.

"Excuse us."

Naruto watched the pink hair vampire leave as well and when he heard that small voice like bells spoke to him, he looks forward to see the girl he loves bowing before him before looking up at him with sorrowful eyes. He knows why she's sad and unfortunately, he's not going to apologize for it. He looks away and nods for her to leave. She curtsies and then goes off into a sprint after her protector. When she left, the others come out of the shadows as well.

"Youch," Suigetsu comments, approaching the spiky blonde with Karin accompanying him.

Karin walks around the jinchuriki to praise him on the other side of him, "Good going, Naruto-sama. I couldn't have done it any better than that, my lord." She tries to make it sound like he did the right thing sending Sakura away before she did something here, and will most likely take it out on the first fifty things she sees afterwards, but Kimimaro and Juugo know that Naruto is not too proud of what just happened.

Kimimaro tells them, "You two are not helping."

As for those in the hallway while Itachi has Sasuke leaning against his chest and in his arms again, he soothes the boy by rubbing circles on his back. He can feel it working as his little brother relaxes in his arms while his distress and anxiety melts away. Though all Itachi really has to do is just be there and Sasuke would feel just as safe and secure as he does now. Though after a few moments longer, he stops and the boy notices.

"Father," Itachi calls. He knows he has Madara's attention so he goes ahead and asks, "You know I'm not a servant vampire anymore, right?"

Hearing that made the vampire king smirk. "You wouldn't have been able to mate with Sasuke if you still were."

Itachi knows his father knows that's not why he asked that.

"Then tell me this. Where is Deidara?"

* * *

Once they're pretty far away from where the others are and still some distances away from Kakashi, Hinata finally catches up with Sakura. She rushes to her side, clings to her arm and tries to say to not only her protector but her dear friend as well, "Sakura-san, please do not be too upset about this." They stopped walking when Hinata caught up but that's when something really weird happens.

Sakura is smiling – very wide on her face and very creepy like. Why is she smiling like that? Then to add more to the weirdness, she starts laughing. It starts off with a snicker and then as her shoulders begin to shake, it turns into a chuckle. It grows louder and louder, but not loud enough to turn into a full on laugh with the dripping madness it would've provided with it. Hinata can't see her face very well. Only the wide crocked smile and all she can hear is that demented chuckle.

Frightened and very concerned for her friend, Hinata calls again, "Sakura-san? A-Are you…alright?" Never before has she seen her like this. Is this because of what happened? Has the shock of Sasuke mating someone else and Naruto telling her off so appalling that she's starting to lose her mind?

"Oh it's nothing, Hinata." Then she turns her head to face the concerned human, only to cause her to gasp and pull away from her almost instantly. What Hinata sees on Sakura's face is something completely different than what she was used to seeing. Instead of seeing emerald green or ruby red eyes she was expecting to see, one eye has a golden iris and the other is completely golden. The entire is gold. It's not just at the iris. The pupil and the white's of the eye is completely golden, and also Sakura's teeth is pointy. Every single one of them is razor sharp and that just makes the wide smile even more terrifying. "I just think that it's time that the Akatsuki pays a little visit to our beloved love doll."

"S…S-Sakura…san?"

…

_Sasuke has passed his test. Now it's Itachi's turn to pass his._

…

* * *

**And there! I'm done! Umph! So was everything I predicted true, or did you expected as much. At least I got this done on Christmas Eve so consider it an early Christmas present from me to you.**

**But how was it, really? Bad? Good? Not eventful enough? Let me know, okay? Merry Christmas everyone!**


	33. We're Hunters for a Reason

**A/N: Hi everyone! I know that it's been a really long time since I reviewed but besides being extremely busy with school work, I have also been suffering from writer's block. This chapter was meant to be longer but I decided that you people have been waiting long enough. Hopefully the next chapter will be done shortly but if not, please PLEASE forgive me!**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. If I did, I would rewrite it to how I'm writing WWYDN,S. Thank you all who have been waiting so patiently and to have reviewed. I love each and every review and hope I have not lost your love for taking so long. Thank you and please enjoy!**

* * *

Ch. 33: We're Hunters for a Reason

All Deidara can feel is the burning excruciating pain in his body. Everything just feels like it's on fire. Every muscle, every organ, every bone, every vein, every blood cell. They just burn as if every bit inside of him has turned into hot coal and he can't die. He wanted to die from this pain. He has no control over his body anymore. He couldn't speak, he couldn't scream, couldn't grab anything, couldn't stay still, couldn't think. His body is changing and it's doing it slowly. Inside his body right now, the vampire venom is rushing through his veins, making his bones stronger, his muscles tougher, and his heartbeat slowing down to a painful rhythm. From the pain, he would fidget, his body would bend in abnormal positions, he would grunt, he would moan, but he would not scream and the bounds on his ankles and wrists prevented him from rolling off the bed he's been strapped onto. Watching him like this, Itachi stands from the other side of the plastic window and just stands there, seeing his Akatsuki comrade in so much pain. It pains him to see that it's his venom that's putting through the blonde in so much agony but it had to be done. He had to protect his family and this is the natural process of becoming a vampire.

After the little fiasco drama in the dungeon, Madara told his son of Deidara being kept in the south tower of the castle. Since they started to allow humans to work for their opportunity to become vampires, they remodeled the tower to become a place similar to a paramedic center – but for patients who have been infected with vampire venom. Each room is completely white, almost like a mental institution room, with a white bed, white walls, white floors, and a white counter with a chair, Also each room has a window from the inside for those who wish to check on the 'patient' and their process to vampire-hood. When a human is bitten, they are assigned to a room and are strapped to a bed as their bodies are changing so they would not hurt themselves or hurt those who come to visit inside the room. Most likely when Kimimaro was bitten, Juugo never left his side and it's highly assumed that when Juugo and Suigetsu are bitten(whenever that may be), Kimimaro and Karin aren't going to leave their sides either. When Itachi was bitten, the venom was already changing his body so rapidly they didn't bring him to the South Tower. Only to his own room, where he was tied to his bed out of precaution he would attack Sasuke as soon as he saw him.

For Deidara now, Itachi does not enter the room. He feels like the blonde probably doesn't want to see him after the despicable thing he did, but he will not leave his comrade to deal with this alone. After telling Sasuke and his parents about the microscopic bombs, as well as his own infection from consuming Deidara's blood(which he also realized he infected Sasuke as well when he cleaned his body from his blood), Sasuke used his lightning to shock their bodies to disable the bombs incase Deidara, by chance, decides to blow them all up as he's changing. The likeliness of that is low but it was a precaution. Better to have inactive bombs in your system than active ones. While the younger prince decides to disable all of the bombs outside and get rid of them completely since Karin couldn't see past them, Mikoto and Madara will arrange a war meeting with the vampire council. The Akatsuki are coming and they doubt they can just talk this through and have tea in the garden to solve their problems. Itachi detests war but again, what else can he do about it now?

"Itachi."

Hearing his name, he looks to the side and sees Sasuke approaching him. Has he been so deep in thought that he didn't notice his mate coming?

"You can stop this guilt fizz you're going through. You said so yourself you had no choice," the younger prince says, walking besides him. When he reached his side, he grasps Itachi's hand as his own form of comfort. He appreciates it, but still.

"I know," he responds, holding Sasuke's hand back. Looking back at the blonde in his super white room, he knows that he shouldn't feel guilty about protecting his family but he feels guilty for another reason. "Are we clear?"

"Yes. All of the bomb particles have been disabled and destroyed. Karin will have an easier time seeing now. She'll be on the lookout for any early intruders. This hunter is the only one who can create bombs like that, right?"

Itachi doesn't answer right away. Looking at him, Sasuke can see that his brother's eyes are focused on the seizure-twitching blonde in the room and the guilt just wouldn't leave him. He didn't understand it and yet, he didn't say anything to push the issue. Still, he waits for an answer because this at least determines if Karin's sight is going to be blocked again or not.

"Yes and no," Itachi finally replies. "Deidara is Akatsuki's only bomber but there is someone else with an ability similar to his C4 bombs. I will write a report of each member, explaining their strengths and abilities."

Those reports will be very helpful. Nowadays, everything is in reports or files that they all need to read, however Sasuke doesn't say 'thank you' just yet. He leans against his brother's arm and that's when Itachi decides to turn his attention away from his comrade to the boy besides him, holding his arm and his hand in a strong yet gentle grip.

"Are you sure you can go through with this?" he asks. "Can you really betray an organization you started with people you've come to known for the past twenty years?"

He's worried about him. That's sweet.

Itachi raises his opposite hand to brush away the strands of hair blocking his little brother's face. When he sees Sasuke's sweet face looking back at him, he softly smiles at the boy. "I have made my decision, Sasuke. I'm not going to back down from it. I need to protect my home and you."

Twice today, the tender moment is ruined from Sasuke's point of view. He tells him, "I may be your uke but I'm not weak. I can take care of myself. But does this mean you're really going to kill them then? Kill every member of the Akatsuki just to protect your race?" Itachi's smile disappears when he heard that and his hand drops back to his side. That doesn't discourage Sasuke at all from what he thinks or his affection. In fact, he leans even more so against his brother's arm and says, "I know you're not that heartless. You care about them. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here right now."

Has Itachi suddenly become an open book to his younger brother, or has Sasuke always been this observant? Even now that they're mates. Staring down at the boy a little longer, Itachi knows that he can't keep it hidden for long. Soon, he will have to confess everything. He's not one to repeat himself but for Sasuke, he deserves to know first above anyone else. "I helped create Akatsuki. Every member in the organization became a vampire hunter for a reason. I know all of their stories; from how they've lived to how they've become hunters.

"Deidara's mother was a prostitute. His father is unknown but his mother stopped her old job and tried to make a better living for them after he was born. Then she met a vampire who instantly captured her heart. She didn't know what he was at first but Deidara knew. He just knew. Slowly, she started to change before his eyes. She grew short-tempered and violent. Instead of Deidara being her rock to reality, the vampire took his place. He sucked everything from her. Her money, her faith, her pride, her love, until eventually he sucked every drop of blood from her."

Sasuke listened intensely to what Itachi said. He is taken back that his brothe is telling him something so personal as Deidara's entire back story without the Akatsuki member's consent. But he understands that this is no time for worrying about other people's privacy. When Itachi paused, Sasuke takes the chance to ask, "Why did the vampire spare him?"

"Because that vampire was the first vampire Deidara ever killed. He killed him when he found the vampire draining his mother. After the vampire was miraculously extinguished by a child, his mother died in his arms. Her last words to him were 'Life would have been easier if you were never born.' She passed right after she said that to him."

Are all hunter stories start off like this? A sob story of what one vampire did to the other that would make every human want to take revenge against the entire race? It's vampires like that that give everyone else a bad name. However what happened to Deidara, what kind of mother would say that to their own child? Was she that in love with the vampire that she would deny the existence of her own son? Or did the vampire bring out the hidden, dark side of her that Deidara never dreamed she could possibly have?

It actually makes Sasuke wonder now. From the short time he knows the blonde, seen how protective he was when their mission failed the first time, did Deidara saw Itachi as a copy of his mother? Technically, they were both prostitutes, in some ways, and from the talk Itachi had with him in the garden that he saw, it wouldn't be surprising if it was his mother's incident all over again. Someone who was living on the 'right' path of the world and then when vampires come in without the intent to destroy them, they change into suckhead lovers.

Trying not to think too much about it, Sasuke asks, "When did you guys find him?" since he highly doubts they found Deidara right after that incident. Would have been perfect timing but no harm asking.

"Four years ago. We had a member name Orochimaru, whose interest wasn't in killing vampires but studying and experimenting them. He was one of the scientists who were successfully turned me human but he wanted to learn more. It got to the point when he believed full-heartedly that vampires are the superior beings and in order to kill them would be to become one of them. Our leader wasn't fond of that idea so he ordered me to eliminate him."

"Did you?"

"No. He escaped after I cut his hand off. When he left, we had a space open and we searched for Deidara. His talents for annihilating vampires in large numbers bestowed him a formidable reputation, one worthy of becoming one of the Akatsuki. At first, he wasn't interested in our offer. He'd believed his mission to destroy all vampires was a solo act because no one could fully understand his pain."

"What changed his mind?"

"I humiliated his bombs and he wanted to get back at me for it. He tries and his attempts would fail every time."

An interesting character, this Deidara person. Surely when he joined Akatsuki, the other members told him probably some terrifying stories of how Itachi kills a vampire when he's not acting like he's trying to bed them. If Sasuke was able to hear a few stories of how Itachi killed more than dozens of vampires in one night in a night raid when he was a hunter, most definitely Deidara heard his fair share when he was a solo act and even more when he joined. Definitely when he joined if the words of Itachi acting like a prostitute never reached the young prince's ears until some time ago. However, this blonde tried to out beat Itachi over and over? He has pride issues, but yet again who doesn't really?

But still, he has a good heart.

"When he tried to save you that night," Sasuke decides to tell his brother/mate – causing him to look back down at the boy from the corner of his eyes, "he looked like he really cared about you and wouldn't dare abandon you unless he absolutely needed to. He had a loyal heart but he was cocky. That's how he lost his arm."

Looking back at the blonde, Itachi's satin eyes land on Deidara's once-missing, now-reattached arm. Thankfully after Sasuke cut off his arm, he kept it instead of throwing it away or burning it. They wanted to try and extract information from the blood of the hand. But dead blood is very hard to work with. Hardly any memories are left in dead blood, depending on how recently the blood has been dead. Then after Madara put the blonde into this room, they reattached his arm; thinking that he might want it back. What's interesting is while the vampire venom is coursing throughout the body and for say if someone is missing a limp, then that missing limp can be reattached and while the venom is spreading, it will travel to the dead limp and reattach completely to the body as a working limp again. So long as the venom reaches the dead limp, it is possible. Otherwise, trying to reattach a human limp to a vampire body will not work – even if you bite the dead limp to give it venom.

"Thank you for reattaching it," Itachi thanks his little brother, knowing that it was also his doing that Deidara will have two hands again to mold his clay bombs.

Sasuke shrugs his shoulders. "I figure since he's become so weak to have been so easily bitten, he might need both of his hands to help us at least a little bit against the Akatsuki."

Looking at him again, turning his head this time, Itachi asks, "What makes you think he'll fight against Akatsuki so willingly?" Also when the older Uchiha knows that there is someone in the Akatsuki who the blonde really cares about. It would most likely kill Deidara if he has to fight against Sasori.

But his young mate simply says, "He'll be under your control as your vampire servant now. I know you're not going to let him touch a hair on Naruto's head and I know for a fact you're not going to let him kill himself."

Somehow, that didn't sound like a completely arrogant 'I know everything' statement. It sounded a little bit more light-hearted.

Turning to him fully, Itachi's lips curl up a bit as he wraps his arms around his little brother's waist and Sasuke, in turn, raises his arms up to circle Itachi's neck. Learning their foreheads together, he says, "You act like you know me so well."

"Don't I? I know how you feel because I know your heart."

"And it's all yours." Then he closes the gap between them, pressing his lips against Sasuke's; who gladly accepts it like all the other kisses they have shared before. Itachi planned on this kiss to only be a peck but he should have known that the second their lips meet, it can never only be a peck. If it is, then the next one needs to be a real kiss and it has to happen soon. No one else is here to watch them and neither of them are in any hurry to be anywhere besides right here in each other's arms. They can take as long as they want with this kiss.

They suck on the other's lips and in no time at all, Itachi licks Sasuke's lips for permission. It's granted and the second his tongue enters that hot canvas, the younger prince's lightly moans at the blessed feeling of that organ moving in his mouth and the taste that is his brother that comes with it. That irresistible taste that's sweeter than honey and more delicious and desirable than his blood. His tongue and his mouth are so exhilarating like lightning shooting through his entire body, and his touches are so hot like fire against his body. Sometimes it's hard to believe that what he has in his arms, touching him, and wanting him just as much as he wants him really belongs to him and him alone. He will never let it go. Ever again.

The two of them stop for air and a string of saliva still connects them for a moment longer before Sasuke dares himself to lick it away from his older brother's lips. He pulls away, his entire face red and a questionable look on his face like he's wondering if what he just did was okay. To Itachi, it was adorable. Just like a cat. His own little koneko-chan.

"Ne," Sasuke calls after a while. "What are the other back stories about the Akatsuki?"

Madara, behind them with Mikoto smiling at his side, suddenly says, "That he'll tell you later." Both princes didn't expect to suddenly hear their father's voice at that moment. In fact, Itachi is blinking surprise and he casually turns his head to see his parents not too far away from them while Sasuke tenses up completely, his entire body shaking with shock, and then he backs away from his older brother's arms as if he were the most degusting bug to have ever crawled on his food. Where the heck did they come from, and how long were they standing there?

Anyone can just see it in his eyes that Madara is enjoying this, having walked in on his children having a romantic moment together. But he tries to be serious enough to say, "We have a war meeting to go to, so you two can continue that later, kay?"

Though of course when he tries to say that seriously, it really just makes Sasuke want to punch his teeth out. They just walk in unannounced and he's acting like everything is all peachy! Doesn't he know that this is really embarrassing for him? That bastard… It's hard to believe really that he's the Vampire King and he's Sasuke's father.

When Itachi hears that they have to leave, he looks back into the patient room to Deidara's shaking and silent raging body. Seeing his distress, his mother walks up to him and tells him, "Don't worry, sweetheart. He'll still be here when you finish. I know it's hard but he's safe here. Kakashi is the commander of our army and so he has to attend the meeting. He won't be anywhere near that young man while you're away."

Really, that's not the problem.

But speaking about Kakashi, what happened in the dungeon did only happen today and only a few hours ago. It's really not something to be worried about but to Itachi, he's wondering what's going to happen between them now. He knows that Kakashi's bloodlust hasn't lessened at all, and the relationship between him and Sasuke is probably completely shattered, but he is a good warrior and he can be very useful in the war against the Akatsuki. Hopefully the issues between them will not do anything to change that. They don't have to be on talking terms. They just need to communicate just enough to work together to survive.

With a monotone voice, the older prince responds, "Right." Sasuke eases his nerves when he heard that voice. Looking at the vampire, he can see the trouble look in his eyes – even when he's trying to hide it.

But of course before he could try to comfort his mate, his father has to say with that same annoying cheery voice of his, "Also when we're done, you two are in big trouble."

Huh?

"What for?" Sasuke asks.

His mother replies, "For jumping the gun on us, dear. We're royalties. We have traditions to complete before we mate with our soul mate."

Itachi raises a brow to that while Sasuke has his mouth open in complete disbelief. His parents are really going to bring _that_ up? Royal vampire traditions before one mates is a whole bunch of restrictions, planning, small time partying, and worst of all, the big bonding ceremony in front of the entire castle on the night of the actual mating process.

Quickly, Sasuke tries to say to her, "Mother, this is hardly the time to be worrying over-"

"Don't argue with us, Sasuke," Madara, of course, interrupts. "We take mating very seriously here and for the only two heirs to the throne, there are rules."

This cannot be happening. Can't these two actually be serious for once in their lives; especially about something as crucial as going into war!

As Sasuke is about ready to just go ahead and die at how ridiculous this is all becoming, Itachi decides to say his part. "Father, mother, please. Sasuke agreed to his engagement to Sakura-san. There was hardly time for such trivial things."

When he said that, he intended to make the issue easier for the two of them. But all he really did was make it a whole lot worst. Sasuke stiffens completely when he heard those words and when he remembers telling him that he agreed to Sakura's engagement in the situation they were in, however their parents are looking at their eldest son in confusion. Why are they looking at him like that?

"First off, they're not trivial," Madara corrects him. "And second, you had time. We canceled the engagement when we saw how close you two were becoming."

Wait, what?

Sasuke begins to turn to stone as now _that_ truth comes out and his mother cheerfully adds, "We knew it would be cruel if we kept you two apart so love prevails. Sasuke tried to convince us otherwise but the funny thing about Uchihas is…"

Madara puts his arm around his queen's waist and finishes with just as much merriment. "We can be quite stubborn when we want to be. It's not just you boys." Then the two of them begin to laugh as Sasuke is having very eerie thoughts running through his head.

'_If Kyuubi truly does answer prayers, kill me. Kill me now for the love of you!'_

Then he feels something even more eerie than him right now. He doesn't have to look to know what it is. He knows and he knows for certain that he is in a world of pain now. Itachi's aura darkens the more he lets his parent's words sink into his brain. He turns towards the young vampire and asks, "You lied to me?" with a voice more monotone than ever. How can he make that even possible? Sasuke is now freaking out in his own skin with that guilt weighing down on his shoulders like a giant boulder. Before he could even react to try and defend himself, he feels Itachi roughly grab his hand and then pin him to the wall. The younger Uchiha ends up staring into the angry eyes of his elder brother – sensing how frustrated he is and knowing that he's going to feel the full meaning of those emotions. "I don't appreciate being lied to, otouto. You are in deep trouble once we're alone."

For some very strange reason, Sasuke actually feels scared for his life right now.

Then like the bucket of ice water they are in any fiery serious situation, Madara and Mikoto approaches their boys and they grab one each. The king tells them, "Not with him you're not, yet. We got a war meeting to go to. Come on." Together, they pull them away.

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**Ooh! Sasuke is in trou~ble! ^_^**

**Don't worry. It won't be anything too serious. The next chapter will be about the war meeting and I'm sure you're just going to lo~ove that one. Now let's just hope I can finish it soon!**

**But how was the chapter? Bad? Good? Should have kept going? Let me know! Till next time!**


	34. The War Meeting Pt 1

**A/N: Hello guys. Okay this chapter is seriously taking me way too long and it's getting really long! I know you guys deserve a long chapter for the long wait I'm making you all suffer through but I don't want to shove everything into one chapter. So again, I'm splitting it and you're probably going to yell at me when you finish the chapter. Trust me, you will.**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. If I did, I would write it similar to how I'm writing WWYDN,S. But Kishimoto is finally granting my wish so I'll be patient with him just a little bit longer to see what he has up his sleeve. Thank you all for your patience and your awesome support. I wouldn't be writing if it weren't for readers like you. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I swear to higher heaven that I will finish with part two before the month is out. Now then, enjoy!**

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Ch. 34: The War Meeting Pt 1

The gathering of the Vampire Council and the royals is very similar to when Itachi was trialed. Everyone is in a dark room with a circle of candles in the middle and Itachi standing in the center of that circle, not chained. All eyes are on him and an air of deadly seriousness lingers in the air. Everyone's tensed. Even someone as dense as Naruto could feel the tension of everyone in the room right now. When it comes to vampires and war, it's in their nature to give into the beast inside of them and protect what's important. But it's actually making Naruto really nervous and scared right now. He stands extra close to his protector in case someone decides to just leap out and attack someone randomly. Sasuke, besides standing next to the blonde, stands near his parents who are once again sitting on their throne chairs or standing next to it. Despite the fact that Itachi now knows that he lied to him about the engagement with Sakura, he feels the undeniable need to stand next to his mate and support him. But he knows nothing of what is to come. Itachi does and that's why he's the main attraction again.

Suigetsu, Karin, Juugo, Kimimaro, Sakura, and Hinata are not here, mostly to the fact that they are no commander of any army and that they have no business to be here. They're just residences of the castle and will soon hear the news after the war meeting. As Mikoto mentioned before, Kakashi is there in the meeting as well but he stands at the far back of the room so he wouldn't be anywhere near the vampire princes. If he could, he wouldn't even be here right now but he has to be here to inform his soldiers of what they must do to protect this kingdom. If he also works this into his benefit, he might hear a clue on who killed his mate with poison and finally obtain his revenge.

"Let us begin the meeting, shall we?" Madara asks the council. At the sound of his even voice, full of authority and at just the right volume for everyone to hear, the council becomes as silent as the grave. "My son."

Nodding at his cue, Itachi gets down on one knee and bows before his king. "I, Uchiha Itachi, have come before you with information regarding the safety of this kingdom and the survival of our very race."

If the room couldn't get any more thicker with anxiety and stress, it just did. Naruto can hardly breathe with how everyone just feels so dangerous and so domineering of their home. He feels as insignificant in this environment as a child. He knows the boundaries of a mated vampire but he grips the sleeve of Sasuke's shirt just to stable himself and remind him that his protector won't let anything happen to him. The younger prince can feel the blonde's uneasiness but he too is feeling the effects of this room. Now his inner-self is screaming for him to be by Itachi's side to support him and protect him.

But he knows that he can't.

The king commands, "Rise and speak."

Itachi does as he's told and before the entire vampire council he says, "In three days, the entire Akatsuki organization will come here and attack this castle. Their objective is to kill our Kyuubi no Jinchuriki and wipe out the entire vampire race. My mission was to kill the Kyuubi's host with my own hands, yes, however, I had a side-mission. If I was to ever be captured, then I was to act as a spy and learn the weaknesses of this kingdom – so that when they come, they can finish you."

The instant he said that, the vampire council goes into an uproar. They knew that when the King announced a war meeting, the given assumption is that someone is threatening their race. Someone powerful but to actually hear that the entire organization Akatsuki is coming, vampire hunters who are powerful enough in just pairs, that is something to start panicking and throwing a fit about. The king and queen try to stay perfectly calm while the rest of the council begin to mumble in fast speaking pace of the true dangers of what is to come to their peaceful living kingdom. Naruto and Sasuke try to remain calm as well but compared to the king and queen, they are the least successful. Naruto feels the pressure of everyone around him and no matter how many times Sasuke hears this news, he still has to remind himself over and over again that his brother's words are the facts he's declaring. Not his own personal feelings.

One vampire yells out, "Prince Itachi, rather you were human or not, you knew killing our god would result in you dying as well!"

Calmly, he replies, "I was prepared for such a risk." And, he even hoped for it back then. It kills Sasuke just to hear those words again.

Another one yells, "You may not care about your own life but had you no care or thought about your own family? We have no idea why you left us all those years ago, but what could be so terrible that you would turn your back on your own kind and bring this calamity upon us? What vampire would abandon their own coven?"

Not a speck of emotion appears on Itachi's face when he was asked that. But for Sasuke, he grips his fists into tight balls. Naruto notices his protector's own tension and he places a hand on his shoulder but not even that soothes Sasuke's unsettling heart – not when everyone around them is acting like this.

"My reasons for leaving are not of importance right now. What does is that I am here now, providing you the information you desire and willing to fight against the Akatsuki to protect my coven." Hearing those words silences the council. It's a relief for them to hear those words because now they have the advantage. Itachi is one of the most talented fighters they know and he has the information. Instead of the Akatsuki knowing their weaknesses, the vampires will know theirs.

Though just because they think they can rest easily, Kakashi still stares at the vampire prince with distrust and distaste.

"I do have one condition, however," Itachi quickly adds. Kakashi wasn't the least bit surprised to hear that while the others. Madara is the only one who remains calm but also confused. Everyone else is taken back and confused.

Madara asks his son, "Which is?"

"My condition is you do not kill any of them."

And once again, the vampire council goes into an uproar but louder and a bit fierce. Naruto and Itachi's family, including Madara who is still trying to look serious, have great concern and puzzlement in their eyes. They know that Itachi has never been one to like violence or war. He only fights in self-defense and he always tries to end the fight quickly. That's one of the reasons why he probably made this condition but that's not what his family is truly worried about. What they're worried about are the vampires around him who are appalled by Itachi's words.

"Spare them? Have you gone mad?"

"They're hunters who kill our kind! If we don't kill them, we become the prey!"

Itachi tries to tell them, "These people are not the merciless killers you believe for them to be. I have spent twenty years with these humans and they are of no difference from the humans who live and work here, or us."

"So we should just offer them the chance of surrendering and starting anew, regardless of the crimes they've committed? You were a different matter because you whored your body to the bloodthirsty vermin. But these hunters…"

"They kill hundreds of our kind every time, innocent or criminal!"

"One of the Akatsuki members kills children through puppetry. Children!"

"And how many vampire villages have they destroyed in a single night?"

Each one keeps going on and on and every second, it's getting worst. Really, they shouldn't be asking these things as if he doesn't know. He does know, and he knows the terrible deeds the Akatsuki has done. But he knows how each member personally and if he bite Deidara to spare his life and not spare the others, like Sasori for example, not only will Deidara ever forgive him(if he forgives Itachi for suddenly turning him into a vampire) but Itachi will never forgive himself either.

The uproar starts to get worst.

"You are not on our side! You came here as a hunter and you stand before us as a hunter still!"

"How dare you try to reason with us of letting these monsters breathe the second they step foot on our land!"

"We should have killed you the day we captured you!"

Now things are really starting to get bad. If vampire hearts could beat, at least four will be pounding a thousand miles per hour right now. If something isn't done soon, then every vampire here will tear Itachi apart.

"What was our god thinking letting you live?"

"Forget the Kyuubi's desires, your life ends now!"

Too late.

Itachi turns around towards that voice just in time to see that one particular vampire riding through the air; only a few feet away from him with eyes bloody red, extended fangs, and razor sharp claws. Itachi doesn't have enough time to react to protect himself. Not even Sasuke's lightning speed or Madara's speed will be fast enough to stop him in time. But something much faster than the both of them moves through the crowd and the fire of every candle blows out.

_**Spluch**_

As the candles regain their light, having temporary lost their fire and have mysteriously regained it back, it reveals something no one in this room would ever expected to see. Not even Itachi who's standing right next to it and blood splattered on his face and some bit on his clothes. Before the entire vampire council and the vampire royals, Naruto stands a little ways behind the vampire that charged at Itachi but there is a big difference about that vampire. He doesn't have a head anymore. The body is headless and Naruto's claw is covered in that vampire's blood with a wide sinister smirk on his face.

Before the body collapses to the ground, the skin on his body begins to flake. It starts off with one and then ten, sixty, two hundred, and by the time the body hits the floor, there is no body left. Only ash and the vampire's clothes. When a vampire dies, it's dependant on the age of the vampire rather the body will burst into nothing but blood or just turn into ash and blow away in the wind.

All eyes stay on the vampire's body from the time it collapsed to just staring a long and shocking moment at the pile of ash. Then there is a chuckle.

"Such an annoying vampire."

Looking up at the voice, everyone is now staring at Naruto as he lowers his bloodied claw, brings it to his mouth, and licks a small bit of the blood off his hand. When everyone sees his face, he still has that sinister smirk but now he also has bright blood-ruby red, his pupils vertical and skinny like a cat's, his teeth extended, and the whisker marks on his face has distinguished more to stand out on his face. Looking at his face, seeing his expression, seeing his eyes, and hearing his voice, the observation is obvious. That is not Naruto.

"Is this how the vampire council acts nowadays? What a bunch of cowardly fools."

No one could say anything and no one could even move. They know that Naruto - the friendly, optimistic airhead that they know; would never take a vampire's life like that. He has a hard time ordering them around for goodness sakes! But will use it if he absolutely needs to. Why would he want to kill them? He doesn't. The person who just killed that vampire in cold blood without a speck of remorse in him is…

"Kyuubi-sama?" Itachi calls, voicing out everyone's thoughts. Tilting his head up with the smirk still on and a satisfied glint in his eyes, that's Kyuubi's only answer for a 'yes'.

'_Naruto!'_ Sasuke is suddenly really worried when he sees that face. Never has he seen Naruto allow the vampire god to take over his body. Only appear as some giant demonic fox head. Now that it's come to this, does that mean that Naruto is gone?

Then the young vampire prince hears movement. Turning to the side, he sees his father off his throne and both him and his mother are kneeling to the ground in the same position Itachi was in when he presented himself. The king and queen are bowing! That means everyone else needs to do so as well, for the sake of showing respect to their god. So they did. Every vampire council member and Kakashi gets down on one knee and bows before their god. Sasuke does the same but none of this is consoling his nerves. When Itachi hears everyone bowing around him, he bows as well. Seeing this pleases Kyuubi very much.

"Rise, vampire prince. I didn't save you so you could bow down before me." But by the sound of his voice, he's enjoying Itachi did that anyway. As commanded, Itachi looks up at his god for a moment before standing back up. Kyuubi chuckles again. "I did it because he insulted me. Vampires these days don't seem to have enough trust and belief in their deities anymore. Not even in themselves, wouldn't you agree?"

Itachi's finger twitches when he heard that. Instantly, he knows what Kyuubi is talking about; besides the council rejecting his proposal of sparing the Akatsuki. Kyuubi knows all, regardless if a vampire never even utters a syllable about their deepest, darkest secret. It will be no surprise if he knows about the Vampire heir's past. Sasuke also risks a chance looking up when he heard that, understanding the Naruto-possessed's words.

As politely and courteous as he can be, Itachi asks, "Kyuubi-sama, why have you appeared before us?"

The vampire god doesn't lose his smirk in the slightest. "Naruto's anxiety was making me excited. So I decided to come out and share my wisdom with you. You were in a rather tight predicament, little prince. You ask for one little thing from your kind and they treat you like the enemy without a second thought."

"They are just scared and confused. I ask them to spare the lives of humans who don't even bat an eye at the sight of hundreds of our kind murdered at their feet."

"But you know that these humans are a lot more than just murderers." Then like a vulture, Kyuubi decides to circle him. Itachi can easily tell that this vampire god is enjoying himself, toying with his creatures like play things. "They can laugh, they can smile, they can joke around, they can get angry, they can argue, they can hate, and they can love. That blonde member you spared has a lover still in the Akatsuki, doesn't he? That's why you turned him. Because losing a mate is the most painful thing anyone could ever go through, isn't it?"

The vampires around them are confused by their god's words. The only ones who are not are those involved. Itachi dares to dangerously narrow his eyes at Kyuubi for saying such a thing like that in the public of others. He can feel anger boiling in his veins but he clenches his jaw tight to restrain himself from saying anything that will give his past away. He does not appreciate being toyed like some puppet Kyuubi believes he can easily control with his strings, but he cannot do a thing against his god or it'll really be a betrayal to his kind. "I wouldn't know." Even his voice sounds threatening enough to hint to the vampire god not to say another word about it. All this does is please him all the more.

"Of course you wouldn't know," he confirms loudly for the others to hear. "You've only just mated and as vampire laws go, you only love one forever." As startling the news of Itachi mating with someone is for many, there isn't enough time for them to progress it because suddenly Kyuubi leans close to Itachi's ear, having stopped circling at his side. Caution, fear, confusion, and worry fill the dead hearts of the damned as Kyuubi whispers in the prince's ear so softly even Itachi has a hard time hearing him fully. "I know about Shisui, little prince, and I know the reason why most of your victims were vampires who tarnish the bodies of others – completely disregarding the one rule you hold most dear above all else. It disgusts you that those lowlifes could just throw themselves at others like that – vampires and humans alike. But what really makes your blood turn cold are those who would take away the love from others; the same way it was done to you. And yet you mated with the very person who committed such a despicable deed. You didn't kill him like how you killed those Sound vampires. Curious, isn't it? But that's alright, I suppose. It only shows to me how twisted your relationship is when it won't even last very long."

What!

Backing away from Itachi's ear and his now stunned body, Kyuubi says a little louder, "I mentioned before I saw a great destiny about you, little prince. If you stay true to your decision of sparing your 'friends', you will lose someone very dear to your heart." No one in the room expected for him to say that but the people truly affected by his words are Madara, Sasuke, Mikoto, Itachi, and Kakashi. Their entire bodies froze and stiffen at the meaning of those words and both shock and fear hit them like a raging avalanche.

Is Kyuubi predicting what is to come? It's not uncommon for such a thing to happen. There have been many stories of Kyuubi predicting some aspects of the future. That's another reason as to why he's such a frightening vampire. But who…is going to…die?

Quickly, Itachi calls to him with such urgency and distress, "Kyuubi-sama! Are you sure of this prediction?" From the very depths of his soul, he wishes his god is still just toying with him to enjoy how he reacts to every word he spits out of his mouth.

But Kyuubi, with the smirk still plastered on his face and the sadistic teasing in his eyes, he replies, "Come now, prince. I can only see so far and I can only tell you so much. I will say that you have a choice. Either chose between your precious family and your mate or your beloved organization. Whichever you decide will determine the fate you laid out for yourself." Then shrugging his shoulders like an arrogant 'uncertain' trickster, he adds, "I might be mistaken about someone precious to you dying. _You_ might actually be the one to die if you try to spare your friends. All I see is Uchiha blood being spilt if you continue this path. Which Uchiha? That I can't see."

Is that really it then? Chose family or friends. Whoever Itachi chooses, the other will die. How can Kyuubi even ask him to make such a choice! There's no way he can bear the pain of losing anyone he cares about again. How much pain and agony must he withstand till the fates are satisfied? With a gamble like this, he can't risk his family's life – especially Sasuke's. Anyone but him. But Itachi spared Deidara's life for a reason. If he kills the Akatsuki to save his family, then what will be the point of everything? Yes, he wasn't too close to any of the other members but he still watches out for each of them. They have been his family for the past twenty years, even if only now he's willing to acknowledge that. Also if he kills the Akatsuki, and the person Deidara cares about most, that would make him no different than the vampires he's killed.

Seeing the distress so deliciously obvious on his face, Kyuubi asks him, "So what will you do, Uchiha Itachi?"

Oh what to do….What can he do?

"There is always a third option to everything," he suddenly says, surprising those around him and causing the vampire god to raise a brow. With the shock and fear of what the future might hold for him clear off his face and mind, Itachi, dare he does, speaks freely to his god, "A long time ago, someone told me many a great and wise things. One in which even if something looks utterly hopeless and everything comes down to two options, there is always a third one regardless. The fates do not control me. I will protect my family and I will stop the Akatsuki without killing a single one of them. That is my resolve and I won't allow the fates to change my mind."

Never in anyone imagination would they think of someone ever talking back to Kyuubi with such a defiant daring firm voice – almost as if he's challenging God himself, and such a thing is more taboo than any act a vampire could commit against his society. This was almost committing heresy but almost in a respectable, in-awed factor. All of the council members now believe Itachi to be completely bonkers. But no one can deny the small bits of respect they feel for speaking like that. However many of the respect became overcome with absolute terror because Kyuubi lost his smirk and all sadistic teasing is wipe clean off. The vampire heir and the vampire god now appear to be in a heated staring contest, with one not backing down any time soon and the other testing to see how far he will go in this boldness.

For long, agonizing, tense moments, Itachi doesn't even bat an eye. It almost makes Kyuubi want to punish the little prince for his insolence.

Almost.

"This is your final decision, then little prince?" Kyuubi asks, regaining his composure. When Itachi doesn't reply, Kyuubi makes Naruto's lips curl up again but this time into a sly grin. "Heh, I really like you, prince. You're the first to willingly stand up to me without a single bit of fear for your safety. You'll also be the first I won't kill instantly for you impudence. But I have my reasons for that. I think I will enjoy watching you fight to try and keep your resolve. Since it's something I'm looking forward to, I expect everyone's participation in to his plans." He says the last part while looking at their little council, and even Itachi, without removing his eyes for even a second off the possessed body of the spiky blonde vampire, can feel their fearful agreement. Kyuubi really is a god. He strikes fear and plays with his _children_ but in the end, he's always there to help the needy and the deserving – even in the smallest of ways that create the biggest impacts. "But just to be absolutely sure…" Then suddenly, Kyuubi raises his arm up and faces his palm at the vampire prince. Itachi looks at the hand, confused and with caution. The others watch with tensed anticipation. The sadistic smirk returns to Naruto's face and Kyuubi suggests, "Let me see just in case if it is your blood that will be spilt."

In that very instant, Itachi feels his entire body pulse. With what, he doesn't know. All he knows is before even three seconds passes, he doesn't feel normal. First his chest suddenly tightens and squeezes, and there is this strong sharp pain running right through it before the numbness spreads throughout his body. Like his whole body just went through a sudden stabbing pain out of nowhere and it instantly made his entire body go numb. Then something starts moving from the pit of his stomach upwards before he's given the chance to figure out why he feels like this. Before he can even try to stop that feeling from going up, it reaches his throat and he has just enough time to cover his mouth to stop whatever is trying to escape but to no success. It only allows him to taste the warm thick iron, strangely bitter taste of his blood before it explodes out of his mouth. He coughs, gags, and chokes on his own blood and more just keeps coming out as it oozes through his fingers, down his chin, and splatters all over the floor. The smirk on Kyuubi becomes very satisfied and devious as everyone gasps and watches in horror of their god's powers.

This is why no one crosses him! Rather he can kill you instantly or torture you with his awesome powers.

Seeing him like this, Sasuke is scared out of his mind. _'Itachi!'_ But before he could get up and rush to his mate's side when Itachi collapses to his knees and coughs over the floor, Madara stops him beforehand.

"Sasuke, wait!" he tells him, quietly enough not to disturb anything as he raised his arm up to block the boy's path. Right when the younger prince was going to ask his father why, he can surely see on Madara's face that seeing this hurts him just as much as it pains him. If they go up and oppose Kyuubi, who knows what'll happen. But how can Sasuke just sit here and watch as Itachi is coughing his lungs and blood out.

Observing the vampire suffering on the floor, Kyuubi observes the little prince's condition a little more before he speaks. He can see blood not only vomiting out of Itachi but also bleeding through his clothes. "From what I can see, a wound straight through the chest and poison to keep it from healing. A slow one. Maybe one used for interrogation or just plain torture. Either way, it will eventually kill you nonetheless. I can tell by the scent of the bitterness mixed in with your blood. Do you know if it's created from the same person who made your special serum to keep you human? That puppeteer who attracts the vampire children?"

Despite his pain and the feeble state he's portraying right now, Itachi still has the galls to look at Kyuubi in the eye and glare for that mockery. As for Kakashi, he's in shock. Kyuubi just basically announced who killed Obito. He heard rumors about the puppeteer and some bit of him using poison, but rumors could just be what they are; rumors. To hear that it really is the puppeteer who uses poison as his main weapon against vampires, all Kakashi has to do now is find the puppet and follow the strings back to the one controlling them. He has at last found the main object of his revenge.

"How sad. Slowly being killed and tortured by the very people you want to spare."

Now Sasuke really can't wait any longer. Kyuubi is not going to release Itachi from whatever it is he's using against him any time soon. He can't sit here any longer!

"Sasuke!"

The younger prince pushes his father's arm to the side and gets up to run right into the circle of candles. Kyuubi spares him a glance and so does Itachi when he came in. Despite having an audience all around them, Sasuke kneels beside Itachi's side and tries to help him as he calls, "Aniki,-"

But he doesn't get the chance to finish that sentence.

_Ba-dum_

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**I told you guys you'll yell at me for this ending. I figure I leave it there and you can wait until the next chapter to know what will happen. Oh and this is not Itachi's test that I mentioned before. It's part of it but the main course is when the war comes in.**

**But how was this chapter? Bad? Good? Why are you doing this to me, sort of thing? Until next time! Bye-bye!**


	35. The War Meeting Pt 2

**A/N: Alright guys! Here is the continuation of the War meeting. I would like to thank you all for the lovely reviews for the last chapter and yes, I will admit that where I left it off was kind of intense. This chapter gets better, trust me.**

**I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the manga itself. If I did, I would rewrite it as how I'm writing WWYDN,S – which I clearly have to update real soon, among other things. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, again and I love them all. They really help inspire me. Also, this chapter was getting too long again so I cut it but I cut it in a less meaner, cliff-hanger way. Thank you and please enjoy!**

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Ch. 35: The War Meeting Pt. 2

"_How sad. Slowly being killed and tortured by the very people you want to spare."_

_Now Sasuke really can't wait any longer. Kyuubi is not going to release Itachi from whatever it is he's using against him. He can't just sit here!_

"_Sasuke!"_

_The younger prince pushes his father's arm to the side and gets up to run right into the circle of candles. Kyuubi spares him a glance and so did Itachi when he came in. Despite having an audience all around them, Sasuke kneels beside Itachi's side and tries to help him as he calls, "Aniki,-"_

_But he doesn't get the chance to finish that sentence._

_**Ba-dum**_

…

When Sasuke paused, all eyes turn to him as what's happening to Itachi now happens to him. His entire body pulses and then he just feels this sharp pain in his neck and a large aching pain in his stomach. He tries to speak but all he can manage is a loud surprised gasp of pain and equally loud panting. All of a sudden it's really hard to breathe and the pain in his stomach feels more like someone is punching him with iron spiked fists multiple times from the inside. It becomes Itachi's turn to be scared out of his mind but he notices something at the corner of his eyes on the boy's neck that really makes them grow exceedingly wide. Because of the blood, he couldn't speak but apparently he didn't need to say anything. Sasuke can feel the blood flow traveling warmly down his skin and he can feel the stinging pain that comes with it. On his neck, he has this large gash between his neck and his shoulder, and blood is just dripping down his skin to look like multiple red rivers on his white ivory skin as it travels all the way to the floor. Placing his other hand over it, his eyes also grow wide in major confusion as to why he has this wound and why he has this pain in this stomach when it's showing no external wounds like the one on his neck. He tries pressing against it to try and stop as much of the bleeding as possible. Usually a wound like this, even though it's close to nearly cutting his head off, wouldn't be a problem. It wouldn't kill a vampire and it would take a longer time to heal than most wounds because it's so close to so many blood vessels, but that's the other thing. Besides the stomach and neck pains, Sasuke feels really strange throughout his entire body. Besides already feeling numb from all of the pain, could it be possible for your body to become even number? And when he moved his hand up towards his neck, it was shaking and it took longer than normal just to reach up there. His body feels stiff and a bit difficult to control. His head suddenly feels really hot and there's this agonizing burning coursing through his veins. What in the world is this? This is like suffering through three ways of how to die at once.

'_Wh…what is this?'_ the younger prince wonders, looking at the pool of blood forming on the ground and feeling his body reactions. He cries out again from his stomach and then leans over from how unbelievably painful it all is. He's also finding it very hard to breathe until he starts coughing too. Blood comes splitting out on the floor in a matter of seconds.

'_Sasuke!'_ Itachi calls telepathically. Oh how he wishes that he can have the strength to stop his pain at least temporary enough to stop Kyuubi or move Sasuke out of the way. He can't bear to watch his little brother/mate prolong in his suffering. He wants to stop it but the 'poison' he feels in his own body gets worst and worst with each passing second and all he can do is cough out more blood.

Mikoto is in horror shock. Her two children are practically dying right in front of her and there's not a thing she can do to save them. Mostly due to her mate stopping her from running towards them as soon as she saw blood leaking through Sasuke's wound. Despite his fear and desperate need to save his children as well, Madara most certainly did not want to see Mikoto in range of Kyuubi's fast-forwarding technique. Seeing your own children in pain, that's murderer. He didn't want to see what wounds his mate might have to endure when the war comes.

Not when it's…

"Ooh? Now this is interesting."

Both brothers look up at their god and like the know-it-all he is, he explains, "From how it looks for you, same thing but the wound is in the neck and the poison is different from Itachi's. A faster paralyzing substance to end a vampire quick. The only reason why you're not dead yet is because I'm only allowing you to feel the effects of the poison. But it truly is a perfect substance to use for a war battle. However, that stomach pain is what really intrigues me. " Then he lowers hand and just like that, the numbness, the pain, and the blood all just disappear. As if it never happened, Itachi and Sasuke are no longer wounded or dying. They're not bleeding from anywhere and now they both feel completely fine. No choking, no burning, no unexplainable internal pains; they're just fine. They're just sitting on their knees on the floor and no puddle of blood around them. So that was all just an illusion then…Oh thank goodness. Coming to the conclusion, Kyuubi says to them both, "From how it looks, both of you have a high chance of dying in this war, by the prince's resolve to save his friends. But I bet now that you two know one of you will end up dying, you're going to do everything you can to keep it from happening…if you can that is. That's only going to make the show for me all the more entertaining. Yet tell me, Uchiha Sasuke. Are you willing to fight and die for your brother's decision?"

Like brother, like brother. If Itachi isn't going to mentally bow down to this guy, what makes him think Sasuke is just going to sit and roll over like a loyal dog. Kyuubi could kill him, that's a fact. Could take everything he holds dear and destroy them right before his very eyes, making him feel completely weak, powerless, and worthless. However, all Sasuke has to do is place his hands over Itachi's and he will have the courage and strength to overcome that fear. It did catch the older prince of guard when he felt the boy's grip over his but one look at his little brother and he doesn't question it in the slightest. Sasuke is glaring at his god, also daring for him to do his absolute worst and it wouldn't change a thing. All of the other vampires again think that the look he's giving to their god right now is a foolish one. What is wrong with the mind set of their princes? Do they want to die at the hands of their god? Or are they just too prideful and stubborn to back down and heed Kyuubi's words?

With no intentions of physically bowing down to this guy again, or even sounding polite, Sasuke replies, "I may not know these humans but if my brother's memories are true, then how can I just stand by and allow them to die when the reason they're hunters is no different than any of us looking to kill for revenge. They're broken, they're angry, but they still have a soul. They can be the heartless killers but I most certainly will not. There is always a third option, even when I usually don't take it." His grip on Itachi's hand tightens. The older prince spares it a moment glance before looking back at the brave little vampire beside him. If the entire council is labeling him a fool for speaking such disrespect to their god, he at least can see the turmoil of emotions raging on inside of him. "Furthermore, I will not die. I don't fall that easily, and I know for a fact my brother doesn't either." He turns to look at Itachi when he said that last part. It threw him off for a moment but it doesn't appear on his face for others to see. Instead he returns the grip and his other hand reaches for Sasuke's face. Palm pressed against check, Itachi kisses Sasuke's temple and nearly every vampire gasps at the affectionate gesture.

Calculating the time they spent together, isn't it a little weird that they would return back to how they used to be? Hold on! Kyuubi mentioned Itachi being mated with someone. Is that person…his _brother_? But that's…incest! An incestuous mating is a common temporary idea but never a permanent one.

Speaking with the same valor he had before, Itachi tells the vampire god, "I've lived most of my life wanting to die. If I can last this long, there's no way I'm going to die now." He holds his little brother's head close to him, actually pressing the top of his head against the older prince's cheek, and if this was not a serious matter Sasuke would have blushed lightly from the soft kiss and the close contact.

Kyuubi did not frown from the princes' bold words but he's not smirking anymore either. It looks more like a grin now with sparkling ruby red eyes gleaming with satisfaction and approval. "Not when you two have something to live for, right?" he asks, shyly as if planning something. And he did. All of a sudden, he disappears and reappears behind the younger prince in less than a blink of an eye and thanks to the fact that Sasuke has a top that makes it easier to look, all the god has to do is pull back collar and reveal his mating mark to every vampire in this room to see. Neither vampires had the chance to even breathe when Kyuubi did that. "Still fresh and hot it seems." Sasuke quickly knocks the god's hand away and covers his mark as he backs away from. Itachi also moves his arm to around Sasuke's shoulders and holds him closer to be away from that guy.

In tradition, or rather just how every vampire feels, it's embarrassing for a vampire to reveal his or her mating mark without being asked first. It's like being peeped on while you're changing clothes. It's a violation of their privacy. So what is with this god they all supposedly worship and fear? If they didn't know better, they would say he's a perverted, sadistic trickster who takes his little mischief too far but he can still get away with it. Kyuubi regains his cruel smirk and tells them again for the last time, "Enjoy the time you two have left, because Uchiha blood will be spilt in three days. Rather you like it or not."

In a blink of an eye, Naruto's blood red eyes change back into his normal sky blue ones and his malicious expression wipes away complete, as if never there in the first place, and his eyes roll back into his skull before his entire body goes limp and begins to collapse to the ground. All audience gasps and the princes didn't need to rethink twice about rushing to the spiky blonde's aid before he collapses completely to the floor. Sasuke catches him and Itachi instantly checks to see if there is anything wrong with their god host. Hovering his hand over the now unconscious blonde's forehead, he slowly and easily slides it down over his neck, his torso, and then back up to his forehead.

Retracting his hand, Itachi reports, "He's alright. He'll wake up in a few minutes." Though when he turns to look at his little brother, he sees the younger prince raising a hand over the blonde's body and his claws pointing directly at the blonde's neck. Quickly, Itachi grabs Sasuke's hand and tells him, "Don't kill him, Sasuke."

"I'm not going to kill him. I'm just going to give him a beating!" the younger prince replies, angrily.

"Coming from you, how is that any different than trying to kill him?"

"Sasuke…" Both vampire princes look down to that small weakened voice and they see sky blue eyes looking at the younger prince and he's trying to appear as cute as a teary eyed baby. "Teme, is that you? You wouldn't hurt me, would you?"

Oh boy… A dark angry aura starts to grow from Sasuke's body, causing his hair and his clothes move in the soft non-existent wind. That's not good. In a low, furious voice, Sasuke calls "_Naaaaaruuuuutooooo_…" and quickly both Itachi and Naruto act by the time Sasuke takes out one of his hidden knives from his sleeve. He holds it in his grasp and he was just about to stab Naruto when Itachi grabs his wrist again and then wraps his other arm around the boy's chest while Naruto as quickly as he can jumps out of the enrage vampire's reach and tries to get a good enough distance away as the younger prince is now struggling in his older brother's arms.

"AHH!" Naruto screamed as he got away. He's still inside the circle of candles and if he really wants to be safe from harm then he should get out of the room and find a safe place to hide – and we're not talking about under his bed or in the closet.

"You moron! You let Kyuubi out!" Sasuke accuses, yelling and really wanting to just rip that blonde apart. Naruto has a history of doing stupid things but this one is absolutely the worst!

Itachi tries to tell him, "Sasuke, calm down," as he's holding him back nice and firmly.

Naruto argues back, "You can't get angry at me for doing that, teme! He saved Itachi's life, didn't he?"

Does he want to call harassment and making Itachi go through an example of what his death will be like a way to save his life? Sure it was only an illusion and Kyuubi got the council's consent to carry out the older prince's wishes without complaint but Sasuke doesn't see it like that one bit.

"Save him? Why I oughta-"

"Enough, children!" Madara calls, his voice overpowering his son's. The teenager stops moving and the three pairs of eyes turn up to look at the king and from the direction the voice was coming from, Madara's not on the floor on his knees anymore. He's back on his chair and like nothing serious really happened, like it's just another meeting day in the office, he simply says, "Now then, let's get back to business."

That attitude really does nothing for Sasuke's nerves. It really just wants to make him want to rip his head off instead.

But then being serious again, Madara calls out, "Itachi, just one last time. Despite our god's frightening prediction, are you still willing to try and save the organization Akatsuki? You could very well die from this war and so can Sasuke. Are you prepared for the consequences that come with this decision if things do not go your way?"

Just like how Kyuubi was asking him before but this time, Itachi is feeling the full weight of how heavily these two decisions could really be for him. He could very well lose Sasuke over this and then what would be the point? He can't kill another person's love one because he knows the pain but he can't live through that pain again. Before he wasn't worried because he knows that Sasuke is strong enough to survive but after that, is he really?

Sasuke can feel the arm around him grip a little bit tighter. Just from that, he can tell his mate is really starting to feel the pressure. His faith is starting to waver. He's starting to doubt his own resolve. There is no way he's just going to stand here and allow his brother to back down because of fear for his safety.

Gaining Itachi's attention when Sasuke places his one free hand over the one on his side, he holds his brother's fingers in a comforting grip as he whispers low enough for only him to hear, "Don't make me repeat what I already said. We're Uchihas and we're as stubborn as all hell. We don't back down and we don't crawl for anyone."

This boy…How is it that Itachi left him all those years ago when he's the only one who can give him the strength to fight against anything that's thrown at him and reign out victorious? Sasuke is right. The two of them have already claimed to not die so easily just because their god predicts it so and they both have declared their decision before this council. It'll be a dishonorable itself to back from it now, even if staying true to it means utter foolishness.

Itachi snuggles his nose against Sasuke's hair a moment, taking in his sweet scent and as a small gesture of gratitude for his encouraging words, before facing his king with the same determination and fire in his eyes he had before. "We are prepared, father. For we are more than just the monsters they claim for us to be."

Hearing his words, the vampire council and Naruto look upon the two princes in awe and astonishment. These two are truly inspiring for their courage and strength. No one can think ill of the love they have share when their encouragement even dares against their god. Their love is strong and unbreakable. However, Kakashi still looks at them with a tint of anger for wanting to spare those hunting murderers when they've already killed so many of their kind. He looks away as if those princes are the most shameful foolish things he has ever seen. Mikoto, she looked petrified and greatly shaken when she heard her son's words but as their mother, she must support them in whatever decision they make in their lives. Madara appears deep in thought as his dark eyes stare and analyze his sons for any fault in their expression that gives away any doubt of their assessment. He couldn't find any.

"Very well then," he agrees after a long moment. "Upon your request and in exchange for your cooperation, as well as by our god's orders, we are to support you and your decision with no complaints or struggle. No one is to kill the Akatsuki. Only capture them and, if you must, wound them to prevent any continuing assault. Well done, my son." Even though they can't see it, they know their father smiles proudly and in approval as he nods. Itachi, in turn, nods as well.

"Thank you, father."

And then like the changing rain…

_Clap_

"And now for main topic number two."

Huh?

Everything goes from hard pouring rain serious to bright and sunny cheerfulness.

Both Itachi and Sasuke raise a brow in major confusion at their king's sudden change in attitude as he reverts back to 'I wanna spoil you' sweet voice when saying, "Oh come now, you two. Surely you haven't forgotten already what your mother and I discussed before we came here." Oh no… "Since Kyuubi-sama has already spoiled the news for everyone, I would like to official declare that the heirs to the throne have happily mated. How about a hand for the lovely couple, huh?" Then he starts clapping, and then Mikoto, and soon the entire vampire council, plus excited and happy Naruto and minus irritated stick-in-the-mud Kakashi. This cannot be happening now…

"_Faaaatheeerrrr_…." Sasuke growls, really really getting frustrated with every vampire born into this castle. Since Itachi too is feeling the stress and humiliation, he allows his little brother to break free of his grip and try talking sense into their parents through yelling. "This is not the time to be celebrating! We are at war and we must prepare." Which always backfires.

"We're not in war yet, sweetheart. And we have at least three days to prepare for that, as well as two days to have the pre-mating ceremony," their mother cheerfully reminds. Oh Kyuubi, not that!

Usually when two royalties are 'engage' there is the engagement party to declare their soon-to-be-mating and then it's the week-long restriction between the two vampires – as a way to prepare both the groom and the bride for when they bond together for all eternity. During which, the groom and the bride have separate traditions they must follow to ask for blessings of their families, their people, and their god. Then after the week comes the pre-mating ceremony. To better explain it, the pre-mating ceremony is like a giant royal wedding and it is the biggest party of the entire mating progress and the kingdom. Everyone attends in some shape or form; the families, the invited guests, and the council while the rest of the castle, the free workers, the castle guards, and even the soldiers have their own little party to celebrate. It's also the party in which the bride and groom plan together without actually being together. It's like a way to exercise how strongly their bond is and how well they know each other. The pre-mating is also a series of events that happen within the party; such as getting the ceremony ready, cleaning and helping the bride and groom before the ceremony, the vows, the dinner, the dance, and then the actual mating ceremony in which the bride and groom have permission to leave the party to mate in their private quarters while their guests enjoy the rest of the party until day-break. The event itself is bigger than it sounds and it's impossible to plan such a thing in two day short notice and actually have it done in time of the war.

Itachi tries to plead, "Mother, please," when he knows he should just hold his breath because they're not going to listen.

The king cuts in, "I hereby declare this war meeting over. I want every blacksmith to be working at once on creating the strongest armor and weapons they can with our materials. Tomorrow, we will have a meeting with our generals to plan strategies. For the remainder of the day, Itachi will write reports of all the Akatsuki members' strengths and weaknesses and anything else we need to know about them. As for the rest of you, we have a pre-mating ceremony to plan. I want a copy of the plans on my desk by nightfall and the cooks to start preparing their finest dishes. You are all dismissed." By his command, the candle light all fades away into the darkness and not even a second later, natural light comes shining in when all exit doors are opened and all of the council leave to fulfill their king's orders by ordering the castle servants and preparing in their own way to congratulate the happy mated pair – if you can call them happy at this moment. In less than a minute, the only ones in the room are the king and queen, their sons, and Naruto – who's still happily sitting on the floor at the thought of his protector getting the ceremonial wedding he deserves.

This can't be real. They're planning for a war and they're planning for a wedding. How can you plan these two events that are very different from each other? It's like trying to plan world destruction and world peace at the same time! It's impossible! It shouldn't be possible in the first place!

"Father, you cannot be serious!" Sasuke exclaims as Madara comes down from his high throne and wraps his arm around his queen's shoulders as the two of them approach their frustrated, slightly stunned sons. "Our very lives are at stake and you want to plan a pre-mating ceremony? Planning for war doesn't have time for all of that nonsense?"

"Oh? And how many wars have you participated in, Sasuke?" Madara asks. "As far as I know, we've decided to keep that business as far away from you as possible after your brother ran away from home before you decided to end it for us by eliminating the Kaguya clan on your own. A pre-wedding ceremony can be planned at the same time as war."

"How?"

Mikoto tells him, "Well we decided that for this one time, we're going to bend the rules just a bit. Sasuke, you are going to help me prepare for the ceremony while your father and your brother plan for the war."

Wait, what? Just at the sound of that, Sasuke pales complete, even more so than his natural skin tone.

"Ooh, yea!" Naruto suddenly cheers out of nowhere. Approaching the queen, Naruto asks like a young child again, "Can I help you and Sasuke plan for the ceremony, Queen Mikoto? I wanted to help the preparations for Kakashi's and Obito's pre-mating ceremony last time but Sasuke wouldn't let me."

The queen sweetly replies, "Of course you can help, Naruto-kun."

Madara adds, "Sasuke still has to watch you, rather he's getting mated or not."

"Now hold up!" Sasuke exclaims again, gaining back his color and his composure.

But this time, Itachi decides to make his say. "We've already mated, mother. The pre-mating ceremony will just be a waste of time and effort."

"Which would be more appropriately used in preparing for the war. Not this stupid, insignificant tradition!" Sasuke adds in last minute.

Then their mother puts on the hurt face. Both princes flinch at the sight of her teary eyes, her pouty quivering lips, and upset expression. Is she…going to pull the guilt trick on them? "You boys are mean," she whines, like a sad, sad little girl. "All I want is to plan my only sons' one pre-mating ceremony since they untraditionally mated behind our backs. I thought the least we can do is have the ceremony as soon as possible. Not just for you but to have it as a family." Yes, she is using that trick on them but they're just trying to be realistic here!

Naruto, taking pity in her, grasps her hand and pats it gently in comfort. As Mikoto proceeds in wiping away her tears that apparently started to form at the corner of her eyes, Madara releases his mate and allows the blonde to comfort her as he tells his sons, "Listen you two, you are being very rude to your mother and to me. All we want is one last feast to share together as a family before the Akatsuki comes. It'll be the first time in a really long time since we did something like this, don't you think Itachi?" Nice, he's using that trick too and it's slightly working. "You also know no matter how perfect a war plan could be, it won't go your way no matter how much you want it to. In the office, it can be as perfect as can be but in reality, that is a different matter. The one thing you must never do is underestimate the enemy. You learned that the hard way."

What he means by that is that time when Itachi was called into war all those years ago. It was the last battle Itachi was in when he lost all his men and he was incredibly wounded afterwards as the only survivor of that battle. It was also the battle before he met Shisui and was saved by him. But on subject, yes he understands what his father is saying completely.

"Besides if some of us are going to be dying in three days, one last happy celebration before then seems like a good way to go."

But Sasuke still tries to say, "No one is going to die, father."

"I know, Sasuke. You're starting to sound like a broken record." Then get it through your thick-heads all ready! "I believe you two will make sure that neither of you will die but what about the rest of us? The soldiers of the army or even some of the humans that'll help us fight? With an opponent like the Akatsuki, lives will be lost. There is no such thing as a war with no death, no matter how much we wish for one. Even without it, people die every day but it is the cause and the reason why they die that makes it honorable. This ceremony will be more than just the celebration of your mating. It'll be one last grand feast with everyone while we're all still alive."

When he puts it that way, Sasuke and Itachi really can't say anything against it. Preparing for the war is crucial to prevent as many casualties as possible but making sure there won't be a single casualty is wishful thinking. Maybe having the ceremony won't be too terrible of an idea. To be together with everyone one last time would be nice because you can never know if the person sitting next to you, conversing with you, or standing next to you will be gone the next day. It's like living that one night as your last night. If you found out you might or are going to die tomorrow, how would you spend your last night?

When neither princes said a word more against it, Mikoto, all tears wiped away and no evidence at all on her face to prove that she was crying, cheers, "Then it's settled." She suddenly appears by Sasuke's side, grabs his arm, and starts pulling him to one of the doors to exit the meeting room. "Time to go plan the ceremony!" Naruto is following closely behind her.

"Hooray!" he cheers.

As Sasuke is starting to fade off into the distance without so much of a chance to stand his ground or have his say as to why he has to be the one to help plan the ceremony, Itachi just stands there, a bit stunned, but active enough to call, "Mother, wait!" Then he feels his father's hand on his shoulder.

"Oh leave them be," he tells him. "Your brother will be fine. It's only fitting that the bride takes a big role in planning the ceremony, don't you think?" He smiles and winks at his son as if he gets some kind of secret message no one else picked up on. Itachi, however, is wondering one thing from his father's words.

"How did-" Madara friendly slaps his hand on Itachi's back before he could finish that.

"Oh you know. It's a father's intuition. Not to mention you're older, you're taller, and you finally have some meat on your bones. A strong scrawny thing like your little brother being the groom is not just possible in this kind of relationship. Now come with me. We can discuss in my office and I expect those reports at the end of the day too."

A father's intuition, huh? Isn't it usually a mother's intuition to know these things?

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**And there we go. So before the war, which is going to be depressing and devastating, as all wars are, I'm going to give you all the pleasure of a vampire wedding between Itachi and Sasuke. Yes, they're already mated but think of this as publicly declaring that they are going to be mates, or already are. The next chapter is going to be a lot of ItaSasu sweetness, maybe a bit of hotness as well, but there is going to be a BIG hint about the truth of Akatsuki. Look forward to it!**

**But how was the chapter? Good? Bad? Iffy? Let me know. Until next time!**


	36. The Secrets We Keep

**A/N: Hello, hello people! Finally! I wanted to get this chapter done and out. Now that it's finish, I won't be updating anymore stories until I'm done with my White Day story to you guys. The sequel to my Valentine's Story, 'Chocolates for Valentines'. The next one is called 'Happiness for White Day'. Sounds good, right? Just wait till you read it.**

**Anyway, I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. I'm going to trust Kishimoto a little more on what he plans to do with Itachi and Sasuke but I'm going to go insane if he only gives them one chapter together and I have to wait another ten chapters of Madara and the five kages fighting. I care about them, don't get me wrong. But I waited a long time for Itachi and Sasuke to reunite after everything they've been through and I will be upset if they only get one sticken chapter while everyone else got like twenty. Thank you all who have reviewed for my stories, especially this one. I love them all and they help inspire me so much! I hope you guys like this chapter. There is a lot of ItaSasu in it and some of the questions you were wondering about earlier, I know you had them for a while, will be answered. Plus, I have a big twist in the end. Hope you like and enjoy!**

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Ch. 36: The Secrets We Keep

By the time the moon is up and raised high above in the sky, glowing in all its vibrant beauty, Itachi finally enters his room after more than twenty-four hours since the last time he was in it. As soon as he closes the door behind him, he leans against it and lets out a heavy sigh of distress. It wasn't because of the hours he put into making the reports of every Akatsuki member, writing everything he knows about them from how they became vampire hunters to the numbers of killing down to the last detail. Each report took him almost two to three hours to write each. His father will read them tonight and then give all of the war generals copies of the reports for them to read tomorrow at the next war meeting. Madara said that he would make the copies so his son could go back to his room and rest. He knows he's tired and he has a lot to think about. The reason why Itachi let out that distraught when he reached the privacy of his own room isn't because of all the work he had to do for his father. It was because of their discussion when they reached his office. His words are still echoing in his head.

"_Father, is there something you wish to discuss?"_

Itachi could have easily done his reports in his room or in the library where no one can bother him, so why did Madara insist that he write the reports in his office as if he's some kind of tutor making sure that his student finishes his work on time? But all during the walk to that one room, Itachi could sense something was just a bit off with him.

Madara had a serious face when his son suspected something. A face more serious than when they were in the war meeting and actually, it was the most serious face Itachi has ever seen him had.

"_The members of the Akaktsuki, are any of them decedents of vampire hunting families like Kimimaro?"_

"_No. Each member has a personal reason to why they hunt vampires. Death of their family, their village, or a precious love one."_

"_Like you when you lost your human?"_

Itachi was more than shock to hear his father ask that. It was like when he heard that Sasuke and Naruto knew about Shisui but his father knew too? Who else does? His mother? Definitely not Kakashi or he might've been more considerate. Itachi didn't say a word after that and Madara had a small understanding smile on his face before it dropped and he became serious again.

"_Did you honestly think after we found out you joined a vampire hunting organization we left it at that? Without Sasuke's knowledge, I sent a little spy into the organization to watch over you when you were trying to requite members. He got in perfectly and from how I'm still getting messages from him, none of you suspected a thing. I asked him to figure out why you left us in the first place and he reported that you fell in love with a human and a group of vampires destroyed him and his village. I'm sorry to what happened to him and at the time, I couldn't understand why you didn't come home after taking your revenge. Just because our laws weren't what they are now, didn't mean we wouldn't try to understand that you lost someone who was very precious to you. Did your leader get to you first then?"_

It took a while for the older prince to get over his shock. It really was like when Sasuke confessed to him that he killed Shisui – a news he didn't expect to hear and is having a longer time progressing it into his brain.

When he did, he replied, _"Y-Yes. He asked me what I was going to do now that I've completely my revenge. He was very convincing that I couldn't just go home and pretend nothing happened. I was young and foolish to believe him."_

"_It was because you were young and emotionally vulnerable that he had the perfect opportunity to bring you to his side. The council might not be as forgiving about this if they find out but who's going to tell them? You may not believe me but I understand you did something you weren't supposed to and coming clean about it would mean the ultimate consequences. At least that's what would have happened in my day and what you believed would have happened in yours. I understand that very well. Your mother understands that as well. But you know, I would tell Sasuke since you're mated now. He deserves to know that his mate had loved someone else before him. Am I right?"_

Madara tried to sound encouraging when he said that but really, Itachi has no reason to feel nervous about telling Sasuke that. Not when he already knows everything about that since he played in an active role in it that little event. But let's keep that a secret too.

"_Anyway back on topic, do you know why your leader only wanted a ten-man organization? Why only a handful when a family such as Kaguya had hundreds of hunters that only did half of the damage the Akatsuki caused?"_

"_He explained once that a smaller organization could be more effective than a larger group. A group of that size would be as obvious as a child taking away a cookie right in before your eyes. Something small, like a mouse, won't be notice so visibly."_

"_A wise answer. However, I know the real reason why he has a small organization."_

Itachi wasn't expecting to hear that news either but he wasn't as shocked by it as he was before.

"_Itachi, tell me. Knowing all of the members personal history, is there something else you noticed that they all have in common."_

"_I noticed that when we first requited them, their reputations were well-known but not as frightening as they are now. They were dangerous before and just like with me, our leader was able to use his words to convince them to our side and join our organization."_

"_What about their abilities? From what my spy told me, what they're capable of cannot be considered human. Don't you agree?"_

"_I agree with you, but each member has their own explanation as to how and why they can do what they can do."_

"_Did they tell you themselves or was it your leader who told you?"_

Itachi became speechless then. He heard their personal stories but never the explanation from their own mouths. Leader was the one who always told him.

"_Itachi, what I'm about to tell you is something your mother doesn't even know and she doesn't need to. This is something that I have done in the past and may I remind you, it is something I am not proud of in the least. It's something I think about every night before I sleep, even when I didn't want to, and it is something I naively wish I can revert time to fix it. I am telling you this now because as the only person who knows and cares for this organization, you deserve to know more than anyone."_

"_Father, tell me."_

"_This was when your grandfather ruled as king. I, his eldest, followed, respected, and believe in him and everything that he did or said to me. Your uncle, Izuna, was the only one who saw what I was too blind to see. Your grandfather was cruel, selfish, and power hungry. I only wished I had seen that sooner before everything went so horribly wrong…."_

_**Click-clack**_

Itachi's thoughts are interrupted by the sudden sound of his window door opening and closing in less than a second apart between each sound. By the time he looks up to see who just entered his room, Sasuke's arms are wrapped around his shoulders and his body pressed close against his. "If I have to look at one more table set, I think I'll go insane."

This is a bit unexpected. Itachi wasn't expecting to see Sasuke at all tonight, nor for the next two days until their pre-mating ceremony.

"Sasuke, did you run away from mother?"

If it's a yes, then this is the first place she'll look and Itachi better hide his little brother or take him far away – away from their mother's rather. He knows what it's like between her and party planning. For the two princes, it's like accompanying during shoe shopping or clothes shopping. You just sit there and watch as she goes between the peach pink and rosary pink outfits. It's torture and even if you say you like one choice when she asks for our opinion, she'll choose the opposite of what you said. It's a torture neither of the princes would wish upon anyone.

"Don't be ridiculous. She sent me off to bed to get my beauty sleep, but I took that as the perfect opportunity to come here." He snuggles closer against Itachi's chest after that and just relaxes in the warmth and calming scent that is his brother/mate. "I've missed you."

Usually Sasuke wouldn't show such sweet affection like this, not with his older personality anyway. But there's a reason for this. Besides the acceptance that they love each other with all of their hearts and soul despite everything that's happened between them, Itachi and him have just become mates. The time after mating is the same as humans going on a honeymoon. They still believe that they live only for each other, when one moves so does the other, and if such things would allow it, they would wish to be the hearts of their loved ones so they can always be together – they cannot live without the other. However for vampires, such feelings last forever. Only right after mating the 'I-want-to-be-a-part-of-you' syndrome is really bad.

Amused by the boy's snuggly behavior, Itachi holds the boy back with his arms wrapped around his upper back and tells him, "And I've missed you. These next two days are going to be torture."

Turning his head up to look at Itachi's face, he says, "Hear that," and then reaches up to kiss him. Surprisingly, it only became a simple fast kiss. Not really a peck but not a kiss that would have lead to a full on passionate kiss, but like those simple, perfect first true love kind of kisses. In a way so simple, they express all of their love, all of their affection, devotion, and all of their adoration for the other. Five seconds. That's all it took and the two of them simply stare and enjoy the warmth between their bodies and foreheads when it was over. Itachi sweetly smiles at the boy before him but Sasuke looks like he's searching for something. "What where you so stressed about before I got here?"

That slightly took Itachi off guard. His smile drops for a moment and now he's observing Sasuke as he wonders how he figured that out. Did the boy stare at him before he came charging in? Or could he just tell?

In truth, he didn't want to say anything concerning what happened in their father's office and he's not too sure if he should tell Sasuke about it either. Besides Madara telling him what he personally knows about the Akatsuki, there was another meaning behind the king's words that Itachi knows Sasuke would feel greatly distressed about when he finds out…if he finds out. Exhaling out another deep breath, Itachi replies, "I know this is the right thing to do, and yet I still feel like I'm betraying my family."

Is that it? Despite the righteous decision he's about to make, he's feeling the guilt of it all now? It's understandable, really. Even though Itachi has been living most of his life as nothing but a doll with no emotions or remorse, he still became attached to that organization. If he didn't, even Sasuke would question if Itachi still has any compassion or love at all to give to him. Sasuke releases one of his hands and raises it up to cup Itachi's cheek and moves it back to him, since Itachi practically was talking to the ground when he answered his little brother's question. "Everything will be alright. You'll see. The information you provided will save hundreds of lives and thanks to Kyuubi's assistance, we have the full support of the council – as twisted and cynical his method was. Just think, things would've been a lot worst if you didn't say anything. With me especially."

Very true. If Itachi had kept quiet about the entire Akatsuki organization coming to attack, then not only would it mean many lives lost in this kingdom for not being properly prepared but it would mean the ultimate betrayal on this end as well. It's just one betrayal after another for Itachi. It's almost as if he can't really be classified as whose side he's on. Both sides are, in some way, his family and he cares for both – even though one side wanted to rape him most of the time because it was weird he was the only virgin among them and the other side is just his down-right plain weird blood family.

Trying to lighten the mood, Itachi tries to smile at his lovely mate and agrees, "That would be terrible. But I'm still uneasy."

Another one? "Why? What else is there for you to be worried about?"

When Itachi was asked that, a true pained face appears on his face. Not a face created from physical pain but from a deep wound in his heart that burns and stings like salt poured onto a wound. Before Sasuke could see too much of that expression, Itachi hides his face away by leaning over the boy's shoulders and his hands gripping the boy's arm as if to steady himself. "What I saw at the war meeting…you getting hurt." Even his voice lacks that strong-willed confidence he usually has. It's as if the mere memory of what he saw earlier today was the most horrifying thing he has ever seen and his body is not reacting properly to try and stay calm and collected. This memory is something he truly wants to forget and banish completely out of his mind but forever will it haunt him for the rest of his existence. The more he tries to forget about it, the more he thinks about it and the stronger the memory becomes as it burns forever into his mind.

Sasuke just shakes his head in disbelief and with the same expression he usually gives to Naruto – the 'are you stupid or something' face.

"You're just as thick-headed as everyone else, aren't you?" he asks. Then leaning his head to the side so his cheek can at least touch the hairs of Itachi's head, Sasuke tells him again, "I told you already I don't die that easily. I'm going to survive because I don't just mate with someone and die the next day."

This boy. This foolish little brother of his. From that last comment, Itachi lightly chuckles to it. "Please don't. Sparing their lives and making peace between both kinds would seem meaningless to me it means accomplishing it at the cost of your life."

"You don't have to take care of everything on your own, you know. I'm not doing this just because you want to and I support your decision no matter what." Itachi lifts his head up slightly and now the two of them have a slight look at the other's face as Sasuke continues, "The Akatsuki are my responsibility just as they are yours. If I didn't send that kill-for-hire Sound Vampire group, you wouldn't have left."

Releasing one arm and raising it to Sasuke's soft locks and warm cheek, Itachi chuckles again. "Now who's being thick-headed? If that didn't happened, I would have mated the wrong person." Lifting his head up completely first, he rests it again against Sasuke's forehead and he tells him the same words he heard long ago. "We vampires mate to one person for the rest of our existence, but what if you realize too late that the person you mated is not your true love? What if you mated with the wrong person and when you finally realize that, you can't mate with him because you've already mated with someone else? If I had mated with Shisui all those years ago, I'm sure that would have happened to me when I realized my other half has always been you. You were always by my side so I never noticed until I came back here. Without you, I was truly living life as a doll – no real purpose and no will to enjoy life."

Before the last part, Sasuke recognizes those words. He knows who said them first and he has this need to catch Itachi on it but this is a really emotional moment for them both. The younger prince can mention Shisui later. Right now with no one else here to disturb them or to prevent him from being so openly affectionate, Sasuke raises both hands this time to cup his love's face and stroking his cheeks and keeping him so close, he tells him as if it were the last words he can say to get his point across. "It was the same for me. Maybe I was the one who inspired Kakashi to live his existence as a bitter old vampire. Always so angry and always wishing things would have been different if I had made one little change in the past. I was so fixated on my happiness at the time, I never thought about yours."

Moving that one other arm, Itachi places his hand on Sasuke's waist and leans just a little closer for their nose lines to just barely graze each other. "I thought we decided not to dwell on the past any longer. No matter what happened in the past, it has led us to where we are right now – me holding and touching you and my mark on your neck claiming you as mine." His hand that was on Sasuke's face, moves back down to the boy's mating mark – stroking it gently like it's one of the most precious gem in the world.

Sasuke shivers at his brother's stroking touch. The mark, like Kyuubi said, is still fresh and hot but it's also still sensitive and it feels deliciously good as the pleasure moves up and down his spine. He could purr just to entertain his brother but he says first, "And mine, too on your neck," as his hands slide down to Itachi's shoulders and that stroking hand stops to cup Sasuke's head from behind. "So don't go running off on me ever again."

"Agreed."

Then their lips meet again in a heated kiss that didn't waste any time at all to involve tongues and teeth. As mentioned before, if a kiss they share is a simple one or just a peck then the next one needs to be a real kiss full of their dormant passion they've kept hidden for far too long.

Itachi licks Sasuke's now swollen lips and the teenager gladly allows him access. Making those sweet noises his lover loves to hear so much, Sasuke clings to his brother's shirt and pulls him as close as he can. But how much closer can he be when every line of their bodies is already pressed against each other? Because it's never enough. They want to be closer and they want to taste more.

Itachi brakes away from Sasuke's lips, a string of saliva still connects them but that is licked by the older brother's tongue to savor every bit. Sasuke shivers at the feel of his brother's tongue against his skin and lets out a shaky sigh as he can only assume what the older vampire will do next. Trailing kisses down the boy's jaw line, the veins under the skin of his throat, and then when he reaches the area between the shoulder and neck, Itachi's eyes are already glowing red and his fangs extended. Sasuke leans back to allow his brother more access and with a slight movement of his shirt, Itachi leans in and bites that area – causing his younger brother to gasp/moan at the pleasure his vampire venom sends shooting through his veins. It sends fire through his veins in replace of his savory blood and shocks pleasurable electrical currents up and down his spine. Itachi, with one hand holding Sasuke's head to support it, moves his other one down the boy's back to support him there as well while the younger prince's desperately grips his clothes as if it were his life-line.

However when Itachi's hand moves down low enough, he feels something…_hard_ against the back of his baby brother. Hard and rectangular shaped. It's a little thick so is it…a book? Why does Sasuke have a book?

When Itachi extracted his fangs, Sasuke let out a groan of disapproval and disappointment for cutting it short, and believe the fact that the older prince feels the same but his curiosity of what Sasuke has with him is too distracting.

"Itachi," Sasuke growls, in a tone that tells him, 'Don't you dare stop,' as Itachi straightens him up. But the boy blinks in confusion and a bit of startle-ment when his older brother's hand moves from his back to inside his white robe top and moves to his back again. Before he can ask his question, Itachi has the book in his hand and has Shisui's journal revealed for both of them to see what stopped their little fun.

Ooh, that's why.

"Sasuke," Itachi calls, with a curious and demanding tone. "How did you get this book?"

Instead of freaking out about it, since Sasuke forgot to put it away before he came here, the younger prince replies casually but with a little feistiness, "Naruto. He said you dropped if after he greeted you at the front door."

Would it be weird to say that Itachi had actually forgotten about the journal? Or that he was too distracted with everything around him that it slipped his mind? After all from the second he returned home, he was pushed to go somewhere else and each moment he was back at the castle, some kind of drama was happening. First it was pretend fighting with Sasuke, then convincing him to mate with him, then Deidara came, then Kakashi, and then it became the war meeting. Between having sex and then getting tormented by the Kyuubi, Itachi didn't have time to wonder what happened to the journal he brought back with him from his little excursion outside the castle grounds. Heck, he didn't even think about it as he was making the Akatsuki reports – mostly because of what his father said to him.

Ah well, nothing he can do about it now.

Letting out a sigh first as his hand that was behind Sasuke's head lowers to the boy's waist, Itachi then asks less demanding, "Did you read it?"

So…he's not upset that Sasuke had it? Supposedly that's a good thing. Seeing that he's not going to blow about having the journal without his permission, not that he should yell at Sasuke for that since he was the one who dropped it, the younger prince calms his nerves down as well. Releasing his tight grip a bit but still keeping his brother close, Sasuke replies, "When I could. I'm almost done with it, but what I am wondering about is how you got it. I looked through your memories to make sure you went to Shisui's grave like you told me and I saw a human boy. I wasn't able to see past the moment he asked what gender you are."

Hearing that made every few strands of Itachi's hair stick out and a sweat-drop to appear on his head. Of all the times, _that_ moment? Really?

"You had to pick that one moment to stop looking," he asks.

Gaining a bit of his snappiness back, "I used most of the blood to see brief moments you had with your organization, the conversation you had with that bomber, and I used whatever I had remaining for that last moment. So what happened to the boy?"

No use getting upset about it now, Itachi supposes.

Recomposing back his composure, Itachi tells him, "When I answered him I'm a man, he asked me for my name. When I gave it to him, he became excited because he recognized my name from the journal he carried with him. He said it belonged to Shisui and I asked to read it. Sure enough, it said 'Property of Shisui' and I started reading from the day we first met. I was only able to read a little bit before the boy's brother arrived after frantically looking for him. Unlike his little brother, that boy instantly knew what I was and he was nervous. Before the younger boy left my side, he told me I could keep the journal. He loved the story but he felt like I deserved it more than him, but I had to answer one question for him."

"What was that?"

"What happened to Shisui in the end?"

Just like Itachi assumed, Sasuke tenses when he heard that question and his hands instantly regripped the older vampire's clothes. Looking into his onyx eyes, Itachi can see all of the questions running through his head about that one moment – including the nervousness of what he may have said to the boy considering that this was before Itachi decided to come back to home.

To calm him down, Itachi's free hand rises up again and strokes with the tip of his thump against the boy's cheek. He restarts his story with, "I told him Shisui is in a better place now. When I said that, he seemed to understand what I meant by that so he asked if things between me and my brother were good again. I told him we haven't and then he started to lecture me as if he were the older, wiser one. Definitely I should read the journal and then I'll know what to do. He reunited with his brother after he told me that and then they left so I could spend the rest of my time reading the journal." A smile re-graces his face again, demolishing any last bit of uneasiness Sasuke still has. "He was right. The last entry helped me decide permanently that life is too short to live; human or vampire. I shouldn't waste it holding a grudge or letting it ruin whatever chance of happiness I could get. So I decided to forgive you and come back here; to my home, to you and your sweet embrace."

His smile, his warm eyes, his gentle touch; it works. It calms Sasuke nerves and he notes in his mind, _'He's using a lot of quotes from him.'_ However, he notices something in those reassuring tender eyes.

"You still love him, don't you?" he asks, startling his brother. "You miss him, too. I can see it in your eyes."

And there's the big question. Even though they're going through this whole thing again, Sasuke has at last the big question regarding what they have, what they're doing right now, is alright and real – not rushed or just a fling they're going to regret later. Itachi doesn't look at his mate with thoughts of the boy being silly for still being uncertain. With a serious question should deserve a serious answer.

With his hand now pressing his palm against the boy's cheek, he tells him seriously, "He was my first love. He always has a place in my heart. I'll always miss him. But I ache for you." Sasuke blinks in wonder when he said that. Then Itachi leans his forehead against Sasuke's again and doesn't even look at him in the face when he says, "If I were to lose you in this war because of me, I won't be able to live with myself. I would end my existence without hesitation. You are my love and my life. How can I live without it?"

Does this man honestly think he's the only one who feels like that? Sasuke watched him dying right before his eyes for a good sixty seconds before he came running into Kyuubi's range, even if what was happening was only an illusion. It still scared him and just thinking about it now, it still shakes Sasuke to the core. How can HE live without Itachi by his side after everything that's happened? After finally getting him back and with no intentions of letting him go, how can Sasuke go on if suddenly Itachi is taken away from him in less than a blink of his eye against his wishes? He can't live like that again.

Not again.

Raising his arms up to circle around the older one's neck, Sasuke tells him, "The feeling is mutual. Life without you was worst than hell and death combined. Don't make me go through it again."

Itachi looks back at his brother in the eye after a moment, he tosses the journal forward, landing perfectly on the counter next to his bed, and then answers, "Deal." Slipping his hand away from Sasuke's cheek and moving under it, he cups the boy's head again and at the same time with his other newly free hand holding Sasuke's waist, he passionately kisses the boy again. Sasuke instantly replies with just as much fierceness and passion.

However this kiss, ends a little shorter than the others. Even the perfect, first kiss one.

"But this also reminds me of something."

Huh?

Before the younger prince knew it, Itachi grabs his wrists and when he pushes him back, it took less than two seconds before Sasuke's back is met with the soft mattress of the bed. Looking up at his brother, startled for being pinned like this, he's even more surprised when he sees Itachi looking at him with dangerous intent glowing in his bright red eyes and a little bit of anger mixed in as well.

"You lied to me about agreeing to the engagement with Sakura-san and I told you I don't take kindly to those who lie to me." With the same quick movements, Itachi moves Sasuke's wrists above his head to hold them both with one hand and with the other at normal human speed, he takes Sasuke's zipper and moves it all the way down.

Cripes, Sasuke's in trouble now.

Leaning down to that bare skin again, Itachi makes sure he doesn't get too close so his little brother can see his extended fangs again and expect what's coming for him. He's actually freaking out a little bit in his head right now. Growling, Itachi tells him, "You have nowhere to run now, Sasuke."

Then looking back at the skin, Itachi unhesitantly and roughly chomps on Sasuke's neck and gulps huge amounts of blood his harshly sucks out of his body. A silent scream escapes Sasuke's gasping mouth and he tries to bare with this rough treatment as best as he can – that's actually really starting to turn him on with the fear and excitement of what punishment his nii-san will give him.

Though honestly, Sasuke doesn't know if coming into Itachi's room was a good idea or a bad one?

* * *

"_Human experimentation?"_

"_Yes. He wanted to go past the boundaries of human limits and he wanted to cure the flaws we vampires had. He called it the best of both words for vampires had imperfections rather we liked it or not and humans were just so fragile. He believed if he could combine the two bloodlines, it would mean the ultimate immortal to have ever walked this earth. So he experimented on so many innocent human lives. Many have failed and so very few survived. Those that did we noticed became forever frozen in time with no means of escaping this world. They wanted to die but they couldn't. So your grandfather decided to try a different experiment. Something more despicable than taking away the opportunity of death when they've already suffered so much."_

"_What was it?"_

"_He experimented on humans who weren't even born. The last thing he did before he died and everything he worked for went down with him was he experimented on eight children while they were still only fetuses in their mothers' wombs."_

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**I told you there a twist in the end. Don't worry if you're confused by the number of fetuses that was experimented on. The explanation will come later, I swear.**

**So how was this chapter? Bad? Good? Making the Uchiha brothers too thick-headed for their own good? Let me know. Till next time!**


	37. He'll Hate Me

**A/N: Hey guys, it's been a while! So I decided that since I have so much going on, I'm gonna go on a cycle. I am thinking that instead of one chapter for each story, I'm thinking about two. Depends on how I feel but one thing is for sure, either this story will get another chapter or the next story will have it, which will be…WYLM. I'm only staying one story or going ahead. I'm not going backwards, if you get what I mean. Does that make sense?**

**Anyway, I do NOT OWN ANY of the Naruto characters or the story itself. If Kishimoto doesn't go back to the fight between Kabuto and Uchiha, I am going to say I wish I did! As important as it is that we all know Kabuto's real back story, why is it taking so long? Thank you all for your lovely support and please keep them coming! I love all of your reviews and it makes me happy to know that you love my story. Thank you and enjoy!**

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Ch. 37: He'll Hate Me

When Deidara opened his eyes, it was to absolute whiteness. When he woke up, it was like he was waking up from a pleasant sleep. Something that he wish he didn't wake up from but with the bright white light shining in his eyes, he can't go back to sleep.

He grimaces when that light blinded him and his initial reaction would be to raise his hand up to block that light and then turn over to pull the covers over and block that irritating light and go back to sleep. But he can't. He can't move his arm.

With the sense of feeling coming back to him, he can feel that it's not the prickly grass of the garden that he collapsed to. He's on something soft and firm but not hard and solid like the ground. A mattress maybe and he has not sheets over his body. It's just him on this mattress. Usually when you sleep, you would have the sheets and the covers otherwise you'll wake up cold and a bit numb, but for Deidara right now, that's not the case. He doesn't feel cold at all or numb. But he doesn't feel warm either.

Confused, Deidara wakes up a little more and when he tries to lift his arm up, he couldn't. Something is holding it back. There's also something holding his torso, his legs, and ankles down as well. Lifting his head up as much as he could, with also the difficulty of lack of strength at the moment, the long hair blonde's caution alarm goes off in his head when he sees that his body is strapped down to a bed; around his wrists, over his torso, over his legs, and around his ankles. With the white walls in the background, Deidara almost looks like he's in an asylum medical room. Though what shocks him the most is that he doesn't have one arm anymore. He has both arms again and he can open and close his fists just like how he used to. But how is that possible? He thought he lost that arm when he was fighting that other vampire prince that night.

Hundred of thoughts go running through his head right now. What the heck is going on? Where is he? Why is he here? How did he get here? Is he in enemy territory? How does he have his arm back? How is it completely attached again like he never lost it in the first place? What was the last thing that happened to him before he got here?

Then it all came to him. For a few days after his mission failed and Itachi was captured by the vampires in critical condition, he went into hiding. He didn't go back to the Akatsuki. Even with the bird, going back would've been too long of a journey for him with his missing arm. So he stopped somewhere to wrap it up properly and Zetsu found him to warn him that he was still too close to the vampire's radar. He had to move again and Zetsu was the one who helped him wrap up his wound since he refused to go back. Sasori would probably give him the proper medical treatment and even give him a replacement arm. But he wasn't going to go back. He refused to leave Itachi to rot in that castle. Besides, if he went back to the Akatsuki, it would've been humiliation of a life time, plus he still had a few days before the Akatsuki came themselves. They can treat him better then. Zetsu told him that they turned Itachi back into a vampire and he was under the control of his little brother – the same brat who dared humiliate his bombs and cut off his arm. With that news, he knew getting Itachi back would be tricky. So for the past few days, he prepared his ultimate attack to threaten the lives of everyone in the castle in exchange for Itachi's freedom. He was pissed when he heard then about the sun protection barrier but from the information of what Zetsu knew about it, his C4 wouldn't be able to move past it but they could still destroy it long enough for the vampires to burn in the sunlight like how they're supposed to. With his plan set and his bombs ready, he set up a quiet bomb to scatter the C4 ones after he passes the barrier. What great luck he saw Itachi already in the garden where he landed but when he tried to talk to him, he was different. He wasn't the Itachi Deidara knew. Then the words he said…it definitely wasn't him. Itachi was leaving him. Just like how his mother left him. He couldn't have that. He couldn't lose her again! So he threatened Itachi's new family with his bombs and then…

…and then Itachi bit him. A vampire bit him.

Right as that thought comes to him, something else takes his attention. Something burning and painful, and it's all coming from his throat. He winces and groans loudly when he feels this pain and it just keeps growing and growing. It's like someone is literally scratching the inside of his throat with long wide, sharp edge nails. First it was softly scratching and now with each passing moment, it gets bigger and harsher.

What…What is this…_pain_?

"You're thirsty when you first wake up."

Instantly catching his attention, Deidara snaps his head to the side where he heard it and he sees Itachi sitting on a chair on the side of the bed with the calm and collected face Deidara saw last time. He always looked passive about his emotions but the expression the long hair blonde was used to seeing were the ones that looked dead. There are no emotions still but the Uchiha still looks 'alive'.

Seeing him after what the Akatsuki bomber just remembered, it doesn't reassure him in the least. It just puts him more into a panic.

"Just like what happened to me and those bitten before you."

Then the blonde accuses him, "You bastard! You turned me?" but his voice sounds horsed and weak from his pain.

Not even a speck of remorse appears on the vampire prince's face. Nor shame. "It was the only way to spare your life and prevent you from using your bombs. My brother has already disabled all of them so even if you try to set them off now, it'll only be a waste of your efforts."

Extreme rage appears on the blonde's face when he heard that. "What did you…" But then the pain suddenly intensifies when he sees something. Looking at Itachi just sitting there on his chair, for some reason Deidara can see the veins in his body and the blood that flows through them. The warm, luscious blood that his instincts instantly crave. This craving is by far the most painful thing he has ever felt; maybe even more so than when he lost his arm. He wants to replenish it. He wants to fulfill it and be done with it. He wants to bite something and drink its blood!

But he shouldn't be thinking like this! And he shouldn't be craving for blood either! He's not a parasite!

He is not a vampire!

Seeing that he's in pain as well as how the blonde does the same thing he did before – grit his teeth as hard as he can to prevent his newly sharp fangs from extending and his eyes fighting between his own natural eye color and the natural red color of a vampire, Itachi knows that he can't just sit there for long. He has blood and being this far away from him when Deidara's like this is tortuous. He should know. It's like a starving man being chained up from the grand and glorious feast he sees before his eyes, just staring at him – taunting him.

He also knows the dangers of what happens when a vampire doesn't get fed right away.

Deidara closed his eyes when the pain intensified in his throat but when he feels a dip on the mattress on both sides of him, he looks and he sees Itachi looming over him with both legs and arms on either side of him. His eyes widen when he sees him so close and to smell such a delectable scent coming from his very body.

He wants it…he wants it so badly…

Itachi raises one wrist up to his mouth and with his own extended fangs, he bites into it, tears the skin a little more, and without drinking a drop of his own blood. With the scent of blood now in the air, it's really pushing it for the blonde. Then it got really worst when the prince presents his wrist to him. Instantly, his first reaction is to move as back as he could away from the bleeding wrist. Even keep his mouth perfectly shut as his fangs ache and ache, begging to grow, and he turns his face to the side.

"Deidara, you need to drink. You need to have some blood or your body will destroy itself bit by bit." But even still as he moved the wrist closer, Deidara keeps his mouth shut like a stubborn child refusing to eat his greens. Itachi even notices he's refusing to breathe to see if that'll stop his throat from burning.

Foolish. He'll die at this rate!

All the times Itachi became a vampire master for his surviving bites, he's not one to like order people around. Almost like Naruto, however if he absolutely needs to order his vampire to do something, he doesn't feel guilty about it afterwards. "Deidara, I'm ordering you to drink my blood."

With that command, the blonde feels willing to obey. For Deidara, it's a little weird. It's like he knows with his heart and soul he doesn't want to drink blood even if his life depended on it but by Itachi's order, it's like his will is easily bended and he wants to obey him. What is this? Is this what they mean by a vampire servant serving his master?

Turning his face back towards Itachi, his mouth is only centimeters away from the Uchiha's wound. Itachi would have just moved his wrist closer for him to hurry up and drink but he waits as Deidara reluctantly sticks his tongue out as if to just try the blood. But the moment his tongue and the blood make contact, something pulses throughout his entire body. Something strong, powerful, and above all, hungry.

The blood was the most delicious thing he has ever tasted before in his life and he wanted _more_.

Opening his mouth, his fangs have already extended and his eyes are completely red for the incredible hunger he can no longer resist. Lifting his head up just a little more, he chomps on that wrist for the full experience of actually digging his teeth into this cold yet warm flesh that is his master. Itachi was startled for a moment when he did that. Not that the blonde decided to bite when the vampire prince already did that for him, but for that unhesitant harsh bite like an animal finally breaking through the barriers that kept him back and the impulse is coming out at anything at full force. He gasped for a moment before trying to keep his body relaxed and to just deal with the pain. Unlike when he's bitten with Sasuke that instantly bring welcoming pleasure coursing through his veins, Deidara's venom brings pleasure none the less but Itachi tries to ignore it. In all honesty, he shouldn't be doing this. Not because first biters should feed on human blood, that's only for vampire children who have matured into their natural instincts, but because Itachi's mated. His blood belongs to his mate and thus, he shouldn't allow anyone to bite him but Sasuke. It's like having unwilling sex with someone else. He doesn't want to but he knows he has to.

Deidara moans when the first drops of blood roll pass his tongue and down his throat. Truly, he has never tasted anything so delicious in his life. So rich with flavor and so filling. He wanted more. Oh how he wanted more for it not only subsided the pain his throat that's been burning all this time but with every drop he consumes, the better he feels and the stronger he becomes. To think that something you can just sip from another can make your body feel this way. It's beyond anything the blonde has ever experienced before. The power surging through him and the pleasure mixed with satisfaction he feels consuming this blood. Usually, he wouldn't feel bliss like this except in bed. Technically that's where he is now but the process is completely different. If only he wasn't tied down, he would hold this wrist exactly where it is and probably never let it go. He never wanted it to end.

Minute by minute, Deidara consumes blood and minute by minute, Itachi can feel his own strength leaving him. He expected the blonde to be hungry. Any new vampire would be – that's why he forced himself to have a big breakfast this morning to be sure not to faint in the middle of this. But just because he had a big meal, plus one small snack in bed this morning, it doesn't mean he's able to give his Akatsuki partner blood by the gallons.

"Deidara…that's enough. Stop!" he commands and by his command at that very second, Deidara releases his wrist and backs away as if the limp and the very blood of it became deadly poison. Pulling his wrist back, Itachi holds it with his other to add the slight pressure to stop the bleeding. He can worry about the clean up later but for now, both males are panting on the bed from either total exhaustion or the blissful pleasure that sprung through his veins like lightning.

Though that bliss feeling is starting to turn into disgust.

Now that he's done feeding and some bits of his mind is coming back to him, the fact that he just consumed blood on a vampire's order is making Deidara sick beyond belief. To think that he would even allow such thoughts of bloodlust and yearning to pass through his brain as he was feeding on blood like the very suckheads he spent all his life fighting and killing. Now here he is, as one of them, and he just drank his fill in blood – according to his new 'master'. He still has a small bit of that yearning left in his body. He wants more. More blood, and the second that thought comes to mind, he instantly tries to dismiss it. Because now he has become the lowest scum on the face of the earth.

Itachi can see the disgust, hatred towards him, and the self-loathing in the blonde's now blue eyes and really, he doesn't blame him. Not only did he turn him into a monster but he made him act like one too, against his will; technically. But it was for the best.

Not wanting his blood to go to waste, Itachi licks the remaining blood on his skin as his wound begins to heal. The Akatsuki bomber observes him and that small tiny part of him which still yearns for blood is craving it even more as the black hair vampire prince on top of him consumes his own blood. He wants that blood and that just makes him feel more revolting of himself.

Once he finished, Itachi tells him, "I'm going to remove your bonds, Deidara. However before I do that, there are a few things I need to tell you that you're not going to like." Looking at him dead in the eye and looming over the blonde instead of just sitting on his lap like how he was before, Itachi orders him, "Once I release you, you are not to kill anyone who lives in this castle, especially not the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. Nor are you allowed to leave this castle, harm yourself, kill yourself, or allow yourself to be killed by another because of what you are now. You are a vampire now and I turned you into one for a reason. I do not wish for you to spoil this opportunity I have given you."

Opportunity? Deidara sure as hell does not see it like that!

Itachi can see that in his eyes and yet he still snaps his fingers and like how the chains came off for him on his father's command, the bounds attached to the bed released the long hair blonde on his command. It didn't surprise the prince at all that the second that happened, a powerful force from the newbie vampire is used against him and he's pushed up against a wall on the other side of the room where the bed was. The hit of the wall is painful, especially when Deidara doesn't even know how to control his new strength and speed, but Itachi isn't surprised in the least that the blonde is looking down at him with blood red eyes not filled with hunger but with complete and utter anger.

"You back-stabbing, two-face whore!" he calls with fangs extended as well and his hands holding fist loads of Itachi's shirt. "Why? Why did you turn me into a vampire? All I wanted was to bring you back to the Akatsuki by any means necessary and you do this! Why, damn it!"

Without a single shred of emotion appearing on his face, the vampire prince simply says, "It was either turn you or kill you. It would have been a waste to eliminate someone with your skills." His voice sounded ice cold as well. No compassion or remorse.

That's why when he said that, his words pierced through Deidara's brain than any blade did before. They make the rage disappear for just a moment and for shock and dreadful realization to take its place.

"So you turned me…only to use me?" He mumble that, with small pleads that wasn't the case but if it's true, then the blonde is more than likely to believe his words this time. Because turning into a vampire is more of an insult than declaring to Deidara that the vampires are Itachi's family. Not the Akatsuki.

Still as blank as before, the ex-Akatsuki doll reminds, "I'm sure you are aware that we only had a week to kill the Kyuubi and since he is still alive, the Akatsuki will come here and finish the job. My family needs every able warrior to fight in this war and if I can turn you into my slave to do that, then so be it."

This can't be true. But given what's happened, how can Deidara not believe Itachi's words? Besides, how many times has the vampire told the bomber that he's changed and that he's not going back to Akatsuki? Several and Deidara's persistence has got him turned into a vampire…under this guy's control who's telling him that he's going to use him to fight against Akatsuki. To fight against their family. To fight against…

"Are you serious?" he questions, his voice rather soft compared to the screaming and yelling from before. But it grows as he asks, "Is that really the only reason why you turned me into a god damn bloodsucker? Just so you could have me fight against our friends and comrades!"

Still not a flicker of emotion on Itachi's face. But for some reason, his face now reminds Deidara a lot of the Itachi he knows. The doll with no emotion or compassion. Just cold-hearted, merciless slaying and even colder, harsh words. The only difference before was the _life_ in his eyes. Then, the Akatsuki bomber saw a bit of emotion in his features. A bit of passion in what he was saying perhaps. But now, nothing. It's all completely blank.

"What else is there?"

So now, is Itachi pretending like he always was for the last twenty years or is he finally showing his true colors? Revealing himself as the vampire scum that he is? And to think that Deidara thought he was caring and that there was more to him than just a suicidal killer with no desire to carry on is existence. Look how dead wrong he is. He never cared about them! Not leader, not Kisame his partner, not the Akatsuki as a whole, and definitely not each member as individuals. In the end, they're all just humans waiting for a vampire to get close enough to sink their teeth into and turn them.

"You motherfuckin, two-face, dirty slut! I hate you! I GOD DAMN HATE YOU!" His eyes are a blaze and crazed; and yet even as he raises his hand up with a first ready to probably smash a few bones with his new uncontrolled strength, Itachi does not even bat an eye and that just make Deidara hate him all the more.

But right when the blonde is going to punch him, a hand from behind stops Deidara's fist before it even moves an inch forward. Then just as fast, a cold blade is pointed not even a centimeter away from Deidara's neck. The bomber gasps in surprises and instantly his guard goes up while being extremely careful about not getting his head slashed off. Maybe it would save him the trouble but his vampire will is making him want to avoid that blade at all cost. When Itachi sees the one who stopped him, emotion finally appears on his features; a small bit of startled surprise.

The owner of that hand and that sword is none other than Itachi's little brother and very similar to the expression Deidara had on before, Sasuke looks angry with possessiveness with his fangs extended and his eyes only red to show that he is completely and totally dead serious if Deidara dares to lay a hand against his brother.

He snarls, "In case it has slipped your mind, your lost arm has been reattached. It'll be a shame to lose both of them, now wouldn't it?" Where in the world did he come from all of a sudden?

But that can be answered later. "Sasuke, enough," Itachi tells him, once he has collected himself. Both pair of red eyes glance back at him and with his piercing, beautiful satin eyes, he tells them calmly, "Deidara is only venting out his emotions. It'll die down soon enough. He just needs to walk it off."

He says it as though it were a matter of fact. Like he expects Deidara's feeling to just die down from a little stroll. Not likely!

But Sasuke gets what he's saying. Reluctantly, he removes his sword but his hand that grabbed Deidara's fist swiftly releases it and grabs the back of the blonde's neck instead. With the same swift speed he had before and his strength, he yanks Deidara off and throws him to the other side of the room – his back hitting the wall and creating a small crack. To the blonde, that hurt but not as much as it would if he were human. To Sasuke, that was a greeting tap.

"You heard your master. Go take a walk," he commands, his fangs gone but his eyes still bleeding red with authority. When Deidara looks at him, his eyes faded back to blue and his fangs are gone too but he's still glaring at both brothers.

So in three days not only did Itachi become the vampire scum that he truly is, but he also got his little brother wrapped around his finger? For all Deidara knows, Itachi was waiting for the opportunity to return to his family. He only pretended to be a hunter to rally up the most powerful annoying ones and then eliminate them for the good of his people.

Right now, a walk sounds like an excellent idea!

"Screw you both, shit-faces." With that, Deidara picks himself up and heads for the door; which he sees is left open for him to exit. Sasuke must have just rushed in when he came in. As far as the blonde goes, and anyone who would feel as angry as him, he doesn't care but before he could go, someone stops him.

"Deidara," Itachi calls and like a dog being called, Deidara obeyed again. When he stopped, it only added fuel to his anger that his body would act against him like this. He is not a dog! But he hears the long-haired Uchiha tell him, "There is a celebration tonight before tomorrow's war. You are welcome to attend, if you wish."

What in the…? Not only did Deidara became surprised but so does Sasuke; him more than the blonde. A questioning, grave look appears on the younger Uchiha's face as he looks at his brother from the corner of his eyes but Itachi is keeping his still on the bomber.

Who in the world does he think he is? Does Deidara want to celebrate the fact that he's going to have to fight the people who used to call comrades tomorrow? But why did Itachi give him the option to attend? Of course he's not going to since he gave him that choice. So why not just order him…

Whatever.

Deidara's only response is, "Fuck you, slut." Then he slams the door when he left and he marches off to…the first direction he sees.

When he left, Itachi looks away finally in his guilt. Sasuke looked back when that blonde made that insult and he almost has the urge to beat the living crap out of him for that. But he doesn't. He knows Itachi isn't going to blame Deidara for his behavior. He's just going to excuse it and brush it off like it never happened because the blonde acted exactly as the older prince knew he would act. But still, that's how Itachi feels. It's not how he does.

"It took him two days to fully transform," Sasuke randomly notes from observation. Itachi turns to him for that and the younger prince is still not looking at him. He's still staring in Deidara's direction. However seeing his body language and hearing the tone of voice, Itachi better get up for this.

Standing up, he agrees, "Indeed. That's a day shorter than normal."

As he dusts off his clothes, Sasuke asks again, "Because he's one of those children, right?" He stops.

Facing him when his little brother won't do the same, Itachi asks, "You were able to read the reports." Though that sounded more like a statement than a question.

"What else am I supposed to do while Naruto and mother are making their long-ass decisions about tonight's ceremony?"

It's not a surprise that Sasuke has access to those records and reading them saves Itachi the trouble of telling him what their father told him. But the reports just graze that surface. It's only about their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Hearing the contempt and the trying-to controlled anger in the boy's voice, imagine how the boy would feel if he found out about the whole truth instead of only that small bit of information. With him hear, Itachi can see other signs. The tightly clenched fists that shake at his side and the small twitches of the body to show the small hints.

Though speaking of which, did Sasuke actually escape their mother this time? Because then he's being hunted down right his minute not to decide what jewelry he should wear for tonight but because they're not supposed to be together right now.

Though there's something else as well. "Sasuke, if you have something to say-" Itachi placed his hand on his brother's shoulders as he said that and as soon as he did that, Sasuke interrupts him by turning around, grabbing his collar and slamming into the wall. It didn't as much as the last time he did this but the raging anger is back on his features.

"Why is it that every time I come rushing in, I end up saving your sorry ass?" he asks, his eyes back to red but again no fangs.

Itachi's eyes are full of gentle understanding to his young mate's feelings but he dares not touch his face. It's just going to get slapped away anyway. "You have every right to feel frustrated about this. But so does Deidara. I only told him I turned him to be used in the war."

So that's it then. Sasuke is caught off guard with that reply, but at the same time he really shouldn't be surprised his brother made that move. He has a habit of not telling the whole truth. Still, those words do little to calm the younger vampire's nerves. "Why did you only tell him that? No wonder the guy was ready to kill you! You should have god damn told him you had no other choice. Either kill him or bite him, and he still has someone waiting for him."

"Sasori despises vampires more than anything. Vampire children to be more precise. Deidara knows that and he believes I just absolutely destroyed any chances of them being together again. If everything goes well, I only hope they still have a chance."

Hearing that calmed the younger prince a bit. A lot really but he can still feel some frustration from all of this. Why? Why does Itachi always feel like he should carry the weight of responsibility? Why does he always do it alone? They're mated, aren't they? Sasuke should take some responsibility as well. After all, isn't the creation of the Akatsuki just as big on his shoulders as it is for Itachi's? One thing is for sure the younger prince had to hear from their father that his brother went to go visit Deidara. He got the hint when Madara gave him the look that hinted the blonde might wake up today and that something might happen. Bless Naruto's and, for once, Madara's soul for distracting Mikoto long enough for Sasuke to escape.

Sasuke is not threatening his brother anymore. He's over that. Instead, he loosens the grip on the shirt so he could hug his mate just once more before they have to part. He's not one to go incredibly soft but Itachi is not one to ask for comfort even when he needs it. "Things will work out. You'll see. If they're good hearted enough for you to risk your life over, then we can only hope. Don't you dare tell Naruto I said that, got it?"

_Thank you._

That seems appropriate to say at this moment. Itachi will admit that the hug caught him off guard again but hearing those words just make it all the world. He takes in a deep breath and lets out a long exhale. He'll partially ignore the last part a bit. For now, he lifts Sasuke's face from pressing against his chest to look up and he leans down towards it. "My lips are sealed, otouto."

They have a few minutes to spare before they have to leave to get ready for tonight. So for coming here and being his support, Itachi awards his mate with a breath-taking kiss and he accepts it full heartedly.

* * *

"DAMN THIS WHOLE CASTLE TO HELL AND ITS INHABITANTS!"

To say Deidara is still angry would kind of be an understatement. The walk helped but while his burning rage died down, his irritation grew.

Everywhere he went, his senses would go hay-wired. His sense of hearing picked up conversations of the workers in the next room or far behind him in the hallway as if they were being spoken right beside him, his vision has gone sharper that he can tell the difference between some of the vampire helpers and the human slaves who look foolishly happy in this god-forsaken castle, he felt the vibrations of almost every lazy step going on in the castle, and his sense of smell increased greatly to the point he could smell the food being cooked in the kitchens that smell like some of the most delicious things Deidara has ever smelled in his life. But that was a lie because every time a human passed him, he could smell the blood through their skin, their sweat, and even from a recently cut wound. It made his throat burn with need but at the same time, it added to his irritation that these humans are living in a castle full of parasites and they're happy? How can they be happy? It's freakin frustrating!

That's why right now, he's in the garden screaming to the open air because he had to rush out of that building of hell or he would have ended up pulling his own hair out. He also hoped that by some miracle, the barrier would slip just once, completely accidental, so the sun could burn him and end his misery.

But the sun is about to set so there won't be much sunlight left and Itachi's order would just make him want to hide as fast as he can if it ever should. Which is another thing to add to his irritation! The guy told him not to kill anyone, leave this castle, or harm/kill himself. Damn him! It would be a logical action for Deidara to make at this point because he always barked that he would rather die than become a vampire and now look at him! But he can't do anything about it because of his damn order. He doesn't even feel like doing any of that. DAMN HIM!

"Hello!" And then a sweet, cheery voice speaks to him.

Turning around to find the source, and swearing that he didn't hear anyone or anything within a fifty feet radius of him, Deidara's a little taken back that he ends up seeing another blonde vampire like himself but he knows this vampire.

"You are…"

The spiky blonde, young boy looking vampire just smiles a little wider to Deidara's startled expression before greeting, "Hi there, Deidara. My name is Naruto. I'm the Kyuubi Jinchuriki."

He's the vampire who Sasuke was protecting that time and he was the one who yelled out that Sasuke broke Itachi's back when he was human. At least now hearing that he's the jinchuriki, that explains the whole protection bit.

Calming his nerves back down, Deidara puts on the tough face again and scoffs, "Heh. You have a lot of guts revealing yourself to me, especially without your protector, un. Or is he hiding somewhere, un?"

One thing is for sure, that whore told him that he can't kill the jinchuriki. Damn it! If he could, he would kill him and take down every vampire with him. Damn the order!

Hearing that last bit, Naruto chuckles a bit, nervously, "No, it's just me. Though Sasuke is going to give me a piece of his mind once he finds out I'm here with you alone. Especially when you've only just woken up as a vampire, and so early too."

Deidara flinched when he heard that last bit, but not in curiosity or puzzlement. In caution. Does this guy…know? Somehow seeing his whimsical smile, that idea is unlikely.

So calming himself, the long-haired blonde turns away and scoffs again, "Well you better go back to mommy then, un. Because I'm tempted to kill you right now. At least then I can take Itachi with me when I die, un." Though that is completely impossible. He just said that to scare him off.

"And that's why I'm here." And it didn't work. Coming up from the side as if to peak at Deidara's now vampire-like, beautiful famine face, he tells him, "When teme came back with his usual ass-like behavior but a little more downer than usual, I had a feeling something happened. So I snuck away to find you as soon as I got the chance. It was kind of easy since the castle is practically buzzing about you."

Deidara rolls his eyes at that last part. Of course the workers would be 'buzzing' about him. He even heard some of it of how they're wondering while he's walking around without his 'master'. Ugh! That word just makes his blood want to boil. And also, what's with this guy? He acts like he's talking to an old friend and he's acting rather girly too. More girly than he looks.

"I doubt they're good things. They're probably all scared I'm gonna go on a killing spree, un."

"But you can't because Itachi teme told you not to, right?"

"Damn straight, un."

A second passes and then Deidara's eyes go wide. Hold on…Did he just…

Still smiling like always and walking up in front of the Akatsuki bomber this time, he says, "Everyone is worried, that's a fact. But they believe that with Itachi teme as your master, you won't cause anyone any trouble. Except for maybe your angry suicidal aura."

Now that raises a brow on the long-haired blonde's face. "Suicidal?"

"When Itachi teme was trialed when he woke up, he claimed he hated every vampire in existence but when he was turned, he wasn't as suicidal as he was before. Everyone noticed. He wasn't full of life when he first came here, but you. I noticed from the first moment I saw you, you had a fire burning inside of you. Now I see that the fire has burned down slightly. You're depressed, aren't you?"

What in the? What is with this guy? Besides the Kyuubi no Jinchuriki, who does he think he is? He's starting to piss Deidara off.

"As if! Leave me alone, un."

But like high school girl pulling information from her best friend about how her first crush, Naruto tries to get the older-looking vampire to look at him as he says, "Don't deny it. Believe me. I can tell when someone is depressed, even if I just met them. I used to see it all the time." Though that last part sounded sincere.

For some extremely strange reason, Deidara feels like telling this guy everything. Like he feels like he can trust him and confined in him his thoughts and feelings. But that's ridiculous! This spiky blonde was born a vampire and he's the reincarnation of the vampire god for, for Jashin's sake!

Oh crap. Now he's starting to use Hidan's god for his irritation purposes.

But still, looking at the boy a little longer, Deidara looks away again and asks, "So what if I am? Nothing is going to help get rid of it, un. I can't do anything about it and I can't allow anyone to do it for me, either."

"Are you depressed because you have a mate who hates vampires?"

Now that is really out of the blue. Especially when he just asked that like a curious little child.

Deidara ends up stuttering, "Huh? How did you…what…" When he couldn't think of the questions clearly, he takes a moment to calm down and not act like a total idiot as he asks instead, "Can't you vampires think of any other term besides that, un?" Though he has a little bit of blush on his face.

Aw, he's embarrassed. So cute!

Saying it like it's an obvious matter-of-a-fact, "Well we don't exactly get a marriage like humans do. We do have a ceremony and there's one going on tonight but besides that, when we mate with someone, we mate for life. We can only love on person entirely with all of our hearts, bodies, and souls. Why do you think Itachi teme never slept with anyone till now? Shouldn't an ex-vampire hunter know that?"

"Well yeah but…" Since he was distracted with the last question, it took the Akatsuki bomber another good two moments to realize the rest of what this weirdo vampire just said to him. There is a ceremony going on tonight…Itachi never slept with anyone till now…HEH? "Hold on! Did you just say Itachi finally got laid? By WHO?"

Rather he hates the guy's guts right now or not, to hear that Itachi FINALLY lost his virginity is something to be excited about. This is BIG news after all. How many years did it take for any of the Akatsuki members to at least get his pants down and it only took three days for the guy to be claimed! But who did it? Who pinned the slut?

Naruto replies, "Why Sasuke, of course." And that was all Deidara needed to become completely sick to his stomach. Itachi…was dominated…by his little brother?

"Dude…that is just wrong, un. He got laid by his own brother?" His YOUNGER brother to be exact, too. That is just…depressing.

Now with a curious look on his face, Naruto tells him simply, "There's nothing wrong with that."

Now that just makes Deidara wanna hurl now.

"Okay, seriously. You vampires are nothing but animals, un," he says, looking away with a very sick look on his face. He's wondering right now if his face is green from just hearing that one bit. And the castle is preparing the royal ceremony to celebrate their mating bonds? Perfect.

"You're a vampire too," Naruto reminds, going back to cherry.

Oh that just made it _soooo_ much better.

Deidara losses his sickness and his frustration from earlier comes back. "Don't remind me. I already despise myself enough as it is, un." '_And soon, he will too, un.'_

Naruto may not be able to see the longer-hair blonde's expression but he can tell just by looking at the back that he's upset. "You know if you're worried about your mate hating you, I don't think he will."

Again, Deidara flinches but not as intensely as before but just enough to show that he was affected by his words. "What do you know? You don't even know him."

"No, but whoever this person is maybe he just won't know what to do about it. Though I don't think he'll hate you."

Okay now this guy is starting to get on Deidara's nerves. He keeps repeating the same thing with that annoying smile on his face and he acts like he knows everything. Sure he's the god host but that doesn't mean he knows EVERYTHING.

"No, he'll hate me. He's hated vampires ever since they killed his parents when he was a child and when they tricked him to sneak them into his village so that they can annihilate all of the villagers. He especially hates children vampires because they were the ones who committed the deed. The second he sees me, he'll kill me on the spot…just like how does to every vampire we've encountered, un."

"He didn't kill Itachi, though."

"That's only because shit-face was already a part of the organization when leader requited Sasori. Shit-face was off-limits from the start, un."

Naruto didn't say anything to that. Which was surprising and not at all a relief. When Deidara looks back at him, he's didn't expect to see such a fearful surprise expression on his face. What's up with him?

"S-Sasori…is the p-puppet Akatsuki member, right?" Even his voice sounds really nervous and fearful. But it's not like 'I know that name and I'm terrified of him' but like 'I know that name and it's taboo'.

"Yeah, what of it, un?" Deidara asks, wondering why Sasori's name would make this annoyingly happy blonde so scared of it.

Though his question woke Naruto back from his thoughts. "Oh nothing, nothing. Just, um…" And then his eyes cast down to the side in sorrow. Okay, seriously. What is going on here? But then Naruto goes up to the older-looking blonde, grasps his hand and tells him as if pleading, "Don't say that name tonight at the ceremony, alright? Or who you are to him. There are some vampires who are not a real big fan of him and I'm sure they won't treat you kindly if they find out you're his mate."

That's what he's worried about? That vampires are going to target him for revenge for what Sasori's done to them. Now that's a stupid thought.

Yanking his hand away, he tells him, "I am not his mate, un. He's not faithful enough to only stick to one person."

"But you love him, don't you?"

Silence fills the void between them after he asked that. Mostly because Deidara didn't want to admit it to a complete stranger. He tensed when he heard that question and he kept his mouth shut. He's already told this guy enough. What makes him think Deidara's just going to admit it right off the bat? Yeah for some reason he seems easy to talk to and he acts like some of those people who generally want to help every person he meets. But something like that is a little too personal to tell to a stranger. Besides, Sasori hurt Deidara over and over and yet, he still keeps coming back like an abused dog being called by his master. That's because he does love him. He doesn't understand why or why he can't just drop it and move on since that compassion-less puppet doesn't care about him. But…during those days when Deidara was alone, in pain, and was preparing to get Itachi back, all he could think about was Sasori. He wanted to be with him. He wanted him to comfort him. He ached for him, even when he shouldn't. But he couldn't leave Itachi behind. He couldn't leave him in this castle. Look where that got him. But still…

Deidara didn't answer Naruto's question. He only says, "You're annoying, un. Anyone ever tell you that?"

Not exactly a 'yes' or a 'no' but Naruto got his answer. He can just tell on the Akatsuki member's face. So he smiles like the shining sun and replies, "Teme tells me that every day."

Seriously, this guy is a weirdo. He just smiles, smiles, smiles like there's not a care in the world when the shit is obviously there. But maybe, that's not an entirely bad thing. Somehow, Deidara doesn't feel as irritated as he did before. Maybe still upset that he's a vampire but he's not blinding with rage like before. Oh crap, he's turning into a vampire-lover.

Then suddenly, Naruto re-grabs Deidara's hand and cheers, "But anyway, come with me! We got to get you ready for the ceremony tonight!"

Back on that subject again? Deidara doesn't slap the teenager-looking vampire's hand away this time but he does stay firmly where he is to stay where he is as he declares, "First off, I'm not going to this damn ceremony! Second of all, what exactly is this ceremony for anyway?"

Naruto blinks in curious surprise. "Don't you remember? It's a pre-mating ceremony. You can call it like a marriage ceremony but it's only for royalties. However since Itachi teme and teme already mated, we're just having the ceremony as part of tradition."

The sickness came back when he said that. "Seriously? You're going into war tomorrow but you want to celebrate their sick union first, un?"

"It's not just that. It's because we're going to war tomorrow, we're having the ceremony." It's just one startling thing after another. Looking at his face with a raised brow again, Naruto's features gain a certain sorrow. "Teme was preaching the same thing. How we shouldn't have it and that we should be solely preparing for the war. However, our god gave us a very frightening prediction so this ceremony is more like the last party we can have together with everyone."

One last party with everyone? For some reason when he heard that, Deidara doesn't feel pleased or feel like making a comment about how much of a relief it is to hear a terrifying prediction that may or may not come true. For some reason, it really catches him off guard. These vampires…do they…is it possible that they could actually have…feelings? As taboo as it is to have such a thought, he tries to push it at the back of his mind but he's persistently coming back. And why does he feel kind of _sad_ for them? He shouldn't! He knows he shouldn't! And yet…

Like the quickly changing rain, Naruto perks up again and says happily, "Usually only invited guests are allowed in the ceremony if they're not royalty or part of the council but I have a feeling Itachi teme invited you." That startles Deidara again. That shit-face did. "So let's get you out of these clothes and into something a little fancy. I'm not a fashion designer but I know some people who can help. We all have to get ready too you know!" With that finally being said and his hand still in his grip, Naruto pulls Deidara back into the castle.

Unknown to them both of an eye watching them from high above in the castle.

* * *

**And there! I know this chapter is a little long and I at first planned on splitting this chapter in half but you guys have been waiting long enough and this will make up for the wait. Also it didn't feel right how I ended the chapter beforehand.**

**So how was it? Bad? Good? Kind of bleugh? Let me know! Till next time!**


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